Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Enforcer
by SoftRogue
Summary: Three years after the Jail Scaglietti Incident, Agent Teana Lanster begins an investigation into a series of incidents that will bring old fears to light and reunite her with former partner; Master Sergeant Subaru Nakajima.
1. Chapter Uno

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Enforcer  
A MGLN Fanfic

- - - - - -  
Disclaimer:

MGLN and all related materials were created by Tsuzuki Masaki and is also the property of Geneon Entertainment.

There are no sinister motives here…

- - - - - -  
Chapter Uno  
- - - - - -

"I want this site secured now!" a large, swarthy man dressed in brown fatigues bellowed as he directed the men and woman around him. "Williams! Ito! I want the area cordoned off in a two block radius!"

Seeing his two subordinates moving to follow his orders, the man turned to the opened convoy truck behind him. "Meyer! I want conformation that the building is empty. Laurent! What's the ETA on the bomb squad?"

"Sir, thermal-optic and thaumaturgic scanners indicate no bio-signatures."

"Sergeant Callow, TSAB Mobile Division 1, 32nd Battalions' E.O.D. Unit indicates their arrival in five minutes and Capital City Defense Forces Engineer Corps are en route."

"Understood," The Sergeant said. "What's the status on the wounded?"

"So far casualties are light and our unit is performing triage and sending the injured to nearby hospitals. No fatalities reported so far."

"Good. Carry on." Sergeant Callow said with a nod before he walked away from the truck.

With a scowl on his face, Callow looked at the devastation around him. The building before him, a local branch of the First National Bank of Cranagan, was the site of a large explosion that had rocked the early morning hours of the capital city of Mid-Childa. Fortunately, the bank had been empty and traffic on the street had been light. Had the explosion happened an hour later during the beginning of rush hour however, it would have been a different story.

Turning his head from the destroyed building entrance, Sergeant Callow eyed the large hole in the street several meters distance from the explosion site. He was a bit curious about how it got there, it was too far away from the building to have been caused by falling debris, yet too close to be anything but somehow related.

Fortunately for him, the hole wasn't his primary concern, securing the site was. Even before his Emergency Response Team had exited their transport the unit's Comp-tech, Private Meyer, had determined that the hole extended all the way down to the old city's tunnels and that no signs of life could be detected.

It was a mystery that was, for Sergeant Callow, not his problem. He and his ERT were only responsible for securing the site and performing triage, he'd leave it to someone else to figure out what happened and why the hole was there.

Caught up in his thoughts about the deployment of his ERT, the Sergeant didn't notice the person walking up behind him.

"Excuse me?" A serious voice asked from behind him.

"This is a secured area! What are you doing here?" Sergeant Callow bellowed before turning around and coming up short.

Snapping quickly to attention, the Sergeant quickly raised a sharp salute. "I apologize, ma'am! I didn't realize…"

Returning the salute, the young woman dressed in the crisp black uniform of the Interstellar Navigation Bureaus' Investigation Division replied "I understand, Sergeant…?"

"Sergeant William Callow, ma'am. TSAB Mobile Division 1, 102nd Battalion's ERT."

"At ease, Sergeant." The Agent said, "What's the situation here?"

"Ma'am! At 0530, an explosion was reported at this location and my team and I were dispatched at 0535. Arriving at the scene at 0555, we immediately began to secure the site and started performing emergency medical treatment. Civilian casualties are light and we've already begun to transport them to local hospitals. 1st Division's, 32nd Battalion's E.O.D. Unit and the Capital City Defense Forces Engineer Corps should be arriving momentarily to survey the area."

"I see." The Agent said; her blue eyes locked on the destroyed entrance of the bank, through which the lobby could be seen.

Shaking her head, the Agent turned towards the hole and began walking slowly towards it, causing her long, red hair to sway slightly. "And this, Sergeant?" She asked, indication the object of her curiosity.

"Unknown ma'am. Upon our arrival, my Comp-tech confirmed that the hole leads to the many tunnels beneath the city and that no life signs were detected from below."

Peering down the hole, the Agent had a thoughtful look on her face. After a moment of reflection, she pulled what looked like a large, white playing card from her breast pocket. "Thank you, Sergeant Callow. If you would excuse me?" She said, walking to the edge of the hole.

"Of course, Agent…?"

Stopping at the edge, the Agent glanced over her shoulder. "Lanster. Agent Teana Lanster." She said before leaping into the hole.

Falling through the air, Teana Lanster, Enforcer for the Interstellar Navigation Bureaus' Investigation Division, let her body relax. No stranger to the sensation of free fall, Teana (or Tea to her friends) fell back onto the ingrained reflexes that she had spent countless hours refining. As she continued to plummet, she clutched the card in her hand tighter and brought it to her chest.

"Cross Mirage. Set up!"

**:Stand by, ready.:**

An orange glow surrounded her as her uniform disappeared, only to be replaced with her standard Barrier Jacket, the same style she used since the days she had been assigned to the now defunct Riot Force 6. Meanwhile, the 'card' began to shift and expand, becoming a handgun. Grasping the weapon in her right hand, she brought both arms forward and assumed a two-handed grip, then separated both hands, leaving her now armed with two identical handguns.

As soon as the orange glow disappeared, she brought her right hand around and fired, causing a line of magic to explode from the gun, which connected with a wall and attached to it with the familiar glyph of Mid-Childa magic. Her once uncontrolled free fall now becoming a controlled decent, Teana began to scan the surrounding area looking for any activity.

Approaching the ground, the Anchor Line detached and Teana landed in a crouch before rolling to her left. Coming up from her roll, she brought both guns up and pointed them at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions. Her eyes quickly scanned the vicinity as her ears strained to hear anything in the cavernous tunnel.

**:Scan complete. No bio-signatures detected.:**

"Thank you, Cross Mirage." Teana said, standing from her crouch.

**:One hand mode.:**

One of the two handguns disappearing, Teana began to search the surrounding area. It didn't take her long to find three sets of fresh footprints.

"I was right…" she muttered to herself with a slight frown on her face as she examined the footprints.

"Cross Mirage, Stealth Mode."

**:Barrier Jacket, Stealth Mode.:**

Teana's Barrier Jacket let off a muted orange glow as her jacket, gun belt, and skirt disappeared as her under armor-changed shape. As this happened, her gloves quickly lengthened from her wrists to past her elbows and up to her shoulders, connecting with her vest. At the same time, her stockings also lengthened and changed color from white to black as a holster appeared on her right thigh.

Once the transformation was complete, Teana was left standing in a black full body suit with red highlights.

**:Stealth Mode, Online.:**

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

A flicker of color rippled across the new Barrier Jacket before Teana faded from view.

Two hours later, Teana faded into view, crouched down as she inspected a set of tire tracks. Looking closely at the tracks while being careful to not disturb them, she searched for any other clues. Holding Cross Mirage closer to the tracks in order to allow the Devices' AI to capture a video of the imprints, Teana estimated that, due to the size and depressions, the vehicle used most likely a normal van or truck and not any sort of large transport.

Standing, Teana looked at the ramp that extended upwards, most likely towards the surface. With a wave of her hand, a screen appeared next to her which displayed a map of the underground area. After looking at the display, she found her position and traced the direction that the ramp led, which quickly confirmed her suspicion that the ramp not only led to the surface, but it let out into an area that easily connected to one of the main super highways that crisscrossed the Capital City.

Before Teana could contemplate her next move, the screen chirped and the familiar face of her immediate superior, Commodore Fate T. Harlaown, appeared.

"Agent Lanster. Report to Bureau Headquarters immediately."

Blinking at surprise as the communication was disconnected; Teana couldn't help but think about the brisk manner the soft spoken woman she had served with for nearly four years had addressed her with. With a groan, Teana's shoulders slumped and she lowered her head.

Fate was…upset with her.

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

**:Most probably.:**

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

'Trouble', Teana realized, was quite a bit of an understatement.

"First Lieutenant Teana Lanster." Rear Admiral Shinji Kawasaki read slowly from the file displayed before him. "Enlisted in the TSAB in 0072. Received above average marks at the Ground Forces Military Academy and assigned to Mobile Division 1, 386th Battalion upon the completion thereof."

Standing at attention in her black Enforcer uniform, Teana kept her face impassive as she took in everything around her. What took up most of her focus, however, was the Admiral himself. While not a tall man, Rear Admiral Kawasaki exuded a…presence. Even in a room full of people, when the Admiral spoke, people immediately listened and paid attention.

"In 0075, earned the rank of B-Class Ground Mage and was recruited specifically by then Lieutenant Colonel Yagami Hayate for placement in the Antiquities Administration Department Mobile Section 6."

As her ultimate supervisor and ranking officer of the Interstellar Navigation Bureaus Investigation Division and its Chief Enforcer, Rear Admiral Kawasaki had earned a reputation as one of the most successful Agents in Bureau history. While she had, up until now, almost no contact with the man, Teana knew from scuttlebutt that he was a tough but far officer who looked at everything in front of him with a laser-like intensity.

An intensity Teana knew would soon be focused on her.

"Played an important role in the JS Incident; receiving several distinctive service awards and promoted to Sergeant due to her actions during that time. In 0076, after Mobile Section 6 was decommissioned, requested and was approved for transfer to the Interstellar Navigation Bureau, where she was assigned to Senior Enforcer Commodore Fate T. Harlaown as an Apprentice Enforcer in the Investigation Division."

At the mention of her superior, Teana's eyes flickered to her left, where Fate was sitting quietly with an impassive look on her face.

"From 0076 to 0078 trained under Commodore Harlaown and completed the Enforcer Training Program, receiving several glowing recommendations. In 0078 attended Officer Training School and, upon completion of OTS six months later, was promoted to First Lieutenant, passing over the rank of Second Lieutenant due to her distinctive record of service. After OTS, First Lieutenant Lanster was fully entered into the Interstellar Navigation Bureaus Investigation Division and given the position of Junior Enforcer. In the past six months as an active Agent, has been assigned to ten different cases in a solo capacity, completing all of them in a timely manner and to the satisfaction of the Review Board."

Finished reading her service record, Admiral Kawasaki closed the file and leaned back in his chair. Clasping his hands together and focusing his attention completely on her, Teana felt a lump form in the pit of her stomach.

"So, Lieutenant Lanster, please explain why, three hours ago, I was suddenly inundated with calls from the head of the Civil Peacekeeping Department, the President of the First National Bank of Cranagan and the Lieutenant General of Division 1, all wanting to know why one of my Agents was investigating what was either an unfortunate accident or a bank robbery. And why said Agent was apparently incommunicado during that time?"

The Admiral never raised his voice or let his obvious anger creep into his voice, yet Teana hadn't felt this bad during a dressing down since that fateful day when Captain Takamachi Nanoha had been upset at her 'questionable tactics'.

"Sir," Teana replied, swallowing the lump in her throat. "The effects of my Barrier Jacket's Stealth Mode have been well documented and…"

"Lieutenant Lanster." Although his tone remained the same, the Admirals' voice cut through Teana's explanation like a hot knife through butter.

The silence in the office hung heavy while Teana took a deep breath.

"Because sir, the First National Bank of Cranagan at that location uses a Matsumoto Securities vault."

Admiral Kawasaki raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to one side at the non-sequitur.

"Excuse me, Admiral Kawasaki." Fate spoke for the first time since Teana's arrival in the office, her soft voice a life-line for the young Lieutenant. "As you know, I've worked with Teana for some time now and I'm familiar with how she thinks. While her explanation might sound odd, I'm certain that her actions were the result of sound judgment based off of facts that she is aware of."

The Rear Admiral's brows furrowed in thought for a moment before he nodded slightly. "Very well. Lieutenant Lanster," He said, leaning forward in his chair "please explain, from the beginning."

"Yes sir." Teana replied, mentally breathing a sigh of relief. "Three months ago, I was working a case involving the illegal smuggling of Class-C contraband technology on Bureau Administrated Planet 62. During that time, there was a theft at the Kruger Research Facility located there. With authorization from Commodore Harlaown, I performed a curiosity audit of the crime to see if it was in any way connected to my current case."

"I recall that case." Fate said with a nod as the Rear Admiral pulled up the relevant files, "However, if I remember correctly, you didn't find anything connecting that crime to your case."

"That's correct." Teana replied. "And I most likely wouldn't have thought of it again. However, a week later, upon completion of my case and my return to Mid-Childa, there was a break in at the Kobayashi Bio-Tech Center."

"Yes, there was an uproar over that." Admiral Kawasaki interjected with a frown. "I was personally asked to assign several Agents to look into the matter. The case is still open."

"Yes sir. And since the theft that occurred during my previous case was still in mind, I ran a comparison between it and the break in here on Mid-Childa. The results were…inconclusive. The technologies stolen were different, the M.O.'s of the crimes were dissimilar, and the two suspects in the Kruger Research Facility theft only had 47 percent match to two of the four perpetrators involved in the Kobayashi Bio-Tech Center incident. However, there was one thing that both incidents had in common."

"They both used Matsumoto Securities security devices." Fate said, following Teana's train of thought.

"Yes ma'am. May I?" Teana asked, pulling Cross Mirage from her pocket.

Receiving a nod from an obviously interested Admiral Kawasaki, Teana stepped forward and placed her Device on his desk. "Since then, I've been doing some research on my off time. As you might not be aware, in the past five months there has been a small upswing in thefts and breaking and entering throughout TSAB administered space. In each case, there is no connection between their M.O.'s and the perpetrators range in each case number anywhere from one to four. Also, in each instance, their target objective has ranged anywhere from hard cash to precious metals to a wide range of technologies, some of which would fetch a good price on the Black Market, yet none of the stolen property has been recovered in any form. However, they each have one thing in common. Cross Mirage, display file 'Matsumoto Securities'."

**:Processing.:**

A moment later, twenty different screens opened around the office showing a variety of disarmed or dismantled security measures. "As you can see, each location uses Matsumoto Securities security devices as part of their security systems. What caught my eye, however, was this." Raising her hand, a keyboard appeared before Teana and, quickly typing a sequence of keys, the various screens moved around the office into a semblance of order.

"By looking at them in a chronological order by the type of security measure used, you can see that in each case a different method was used to circumvent said systems until the most effective counter-measure was deployed."

Seeing that she had the complete attention of both of her superiors, Teana pressed on.

"Taking all of this into account, there is also an important fact that needs to be mentioned. While Matsumoto Securities provides many different types of security measures to both the civilian and corporate sectors, what is important to note is that they are the sole contractor used by the TSAB to provide the security systems that are used for high level security areas."

The Rear Admiral unfolded his hands and placed them flat on his desk. "So," he said slowly "you are suggesting that these various, unconnected crimes are being used as…as test runs? For a possible attack against a TSAB facility?"

"Yes sir." Teana said with more conviction than she felt.

Admiral Kawasaki was silent for a moment, looking at Teana intensely. "And this morning?"

"Um…well, sir. I was on my way to Headquarters this morning when the explosion occurred. Since I was in the area, I proceeded to the area to see if I could be any assistance in my capacity as a commissioned office of the TSAB. After I arrived, I recognized the bank vault as being made by Matsumoto Securities and I…"

"And you proceeded to follow the most likely escape route that the suspects would have taken, correct?"

"Yes sir."

Leaning back in his chair, the Admiral placed a hand against his chin and tapped his lips with a finger. "Commodore Harlaown?"

Fate looked at Teana with a smile in her eyes. "I have complete faith that Teana has researched this thoroughly and the information she's presented is accurate."

"I see." The Rear Admiral said slowly, turning back to Teana. "Lieutenant Lanster, you've presented quite the compelling case," Teana felt a weight removed from her shoulders, before it was immediately returned, "for something based purely on conjecture and circumstantial evidence."

Admiral Kawasaki regarded Teana for a moment in silence before he opened up a screen and began typing. "Regardless of which, I am not a man who doesn't believe in coincidence. For the time being, I'm releasing you from your current case load and assigning you to follow up on your theory, the potential threat to the TSAB if you are correct is significant enough to warrant an investigation. However," The Rear Admiral paused his typing and gave Teana another piercing look, "all reports concerning this investigation is to be forwarded to both Commodore Harlaown and myself. As there is no significant evidence at this time your theory is correct, I cannot commit any additional resources towards your investigation beyond what is already available to you as an individual Agent. And, if at any time I feel that there is no significant progress being made, you will be pulled from this case. Understood?"

"Yes sir!

"Dismissed."

Snapping off a quick salute, Teana retrieved her Device before she turned and exited the office. Nodding to the Rear Admirals assistant, Teana quickly made her way down the hall and entered a nearby restroom. Once inside, she turned on the cold water on one of the sinks and used her hands to splash her face. Leaning against the vanity, Teana sagged and let out a groan as she thought about the sudden pressure just placed on her.

"Teana?"

Recognizing the voice, Teana quickly turned and snapped to attention. "Commodore Harlaown!"

A small pout crossed Fate's face at Teana's constant formality before she gave her junior a proud smile. "You did well in there, Teana. The Admiral was quite impressed by how you presented yourself and the data you've gathered. He wouldn't have assigned you to follow up on your information if he wasn't."

"Thank you, ma'am." Teana said, smiling at the praise.

"Do you have any ideas on how to conduct your investigation?" Fate asked.

"Yes…but, I'm not sure how to proceed." Teana answered with a frown. "If I'm right, the only security measure that the suspects have yet to overcome is the vault itself. The easiest way to proceed is to narrow down the possible targets and stake out the most likely ones and confront them when they strike. Figuring out a list of possible targets will be easy, but, for the rest of it, I'll need someone to back me up. Someone who's strong enough to take on several unknown suspects and fast enough to respond the instant they strike. But the Admiral just informed me that I'm on my own."

"So…" Fate mused, "You need someone strong and fast who can watch your back? Someone who you trust to follow your instructions and orders, correct?"

"Yes…but the Admiral…"

"Now, Teana…The Admiral said that you couldn't use any additional resources beyond what is currently available to you as an Enforcer, correct?" Fate said with a playful smile as she brought up a screen and displayed the current copy of the Rules and Regulations of the Interstellar Navigation Bureau and highlighted a specific section.

Quickly reading the highlighted section, Teana blinked in confusion before giving Fate a wide-eye look. "You mean…?"

"While it is unusual, there is precedent, occasionally an Enforcer requires a specific skill set they do not have in order to complete a case. Of course, it does require the approval of a supervisor of the rank of Captain or above, which I just happen to be." Fate said playfully, before she turned serious. "While I agree with the Admiral that there isn't enough evidence to warrant a full investigation, I also agree that you do need backup on this case if your theory is correct. And," Fate's expression turned playful again, "I believe we both know someone who fits the qualifications you're looking for, yes?"

"Yes ma'am!" Teana replied with a cheerful smile.

"Good. Now, the first thing you can do is fill out the necessary requisition forms for me, the required paperwork is…involved."

* * *

**Interstellar Navigation Bureau, Investigation Division**

The Interstellar Navigation Bureau, Investigation Division is viewed by many as the premier Investigation's Unit within the TSAB. The main reason for this is, unlike the Ground Forces and the Air Corps Investigation Units, the Interstellar Navigation Bureaus Investigation Division has both a higher profile and a wider scope of operations due to the presence of Enforcers who are posted on each ship within the Interstellar Navy. Due to their postings, Enforcers are often called upon by the ships Captain to investigate happenings that are encountered during the ships tour of duty.

However, not all Enforcers are assigned to posts with the Fleet; many are assigned to TSAB installations throughout TSAB administered space. These Enforcers perform a wide variety of duties which can include following up on situations reported by their Space borne compatriots, conducting internal investigations, and performing inquests based upon information that has been acquired by the Interstellar Navigation Bureaus Intelligence Division.

Enforcers are granted the title of 'Agent'. The reason being is that, during the course of an investigation, it is more than likely that the Enforcer with have to deal with someone who is of greater military rank then they are. However, by being recognized as an 'Agent' instead of by their own rank, the Enforcer is, for the intents of their investigation, removed from the chain of command. As long as the Enforcer adheres to proper military protocol and decorum, the Enforcer is free to pursue their investigation.

**Personnel assigned to the Interstellar Navigation Bureau, Investigation Division:**

Rear Admiral (Agent) Shinji Kawasaki: Commander of the Interstellar Navigation Bureau, Investigation Division and Chief Enforcer. S-Class Aerial Mage.

Commodore (Agent) Fate T. Harlaown: Senior Enforcer of the Interstellar Navigation Bureau's Investigation Division. SS-Class Aerial Mage.

First Lieutenant (Agent) Teana Lanster: Junior Enforcer of the Interstellar Navigation Bureau's Investigation Division. B-Class Ground Mage.


	2. Chapter Dos

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Enforcer

A MGLN Fanfic

Disclaimer:

MGLN and all related materials were created by Tsuzuki Masaki and is also the property of Geneon Entertainment.

- - - - - -  
Chapter Dos  
- - - - - -

"What's the meaning of this?" Subaru demanded waving a piece of paper like a flag as she stormed into her commanding officer's office, the door slamming shut behind her.

"Come in, Master Sergeant Nakajima." Lieutenant Colonel Sharon Aprilia said calmly as she adjusted her glasses, long used to the various antics and attitudes of her best forward and top squad leader.

"A transfer? A _transfer_! I didn't request any transfer!" Subaru ranted as she slammed the paper down on the Lt. Colonel's desk. "Why am I being transferred? Damn it! I'm needed here! Why didn't you do anything to stop this? I demand…"

"Master Sergeant Nakajima! That's enough!" Lt. Colonel Aprilia snapped, bringing Subaru's outburst to a screeching halt. "Now, sit down." She ordered, indicating the chair in front of her desk.

Seeing Subaru following her orders, Lt. Colonel Aprilia continued where she left off before she was interrupted. As she looked over the monthly supply reports, she repressed an urge to smile. Having the reputation for being unflappable and a cool, level head in any situation not only made her perfect for running the TSABs Disaster Planning and Humanitarian Aid Unit and its Special Relief Squads but also for dealing with her various hot-headed and overly passionate subordinates.

After spending a few minutes looking over the reports and adding her final approval to them, Lt. Colonel Aprilia finally turned to address Subaru. "Feeling better?"

"Um…sorry about that, ma'am." Subaru replied bashfully.

"While your actions were inappropriate," Lt. Colonel Aprilia said slowly, "your sentiments are understandable."

"Ma'am?" A confused Subaru asked.

"While the Disaster Planning and Humanitarian Aid Unit is not attached to any of the TSAB's Armed Forces, thus not falling directly under any of the three branches' direct chain of command, we are still a part of the Bureau. That means that we are to follow any lawful orders that are given to us through proper Bureau channels." The Lt. Colonel finished, indicating the transfer paperwork one hand. "Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am." Subaru agreed. "It's just that…"

"That being said, no, I did _not_ approve of you being transferred out of our unit and yes, I did try to stop it. However, I was overruled. Master Sergeant Nakajima…Subaru," the Lt. Colonel sighed, "losing you is the _last_ thing I want. To be honest, you're the best thing to happen to the Unit in a while. With all the hard work you've put into this program, you've helped to make a real difference here."

"Ma'am! I didn't…I mean that I'm not…" Subaru stammered, blushing at the praise.

"Don't sell yourself short, Subaru." Lt. Colonel Aprilia said. "In the three years you've been here, not only are our SRSs performing above and beyond what was initially expected of us, but we've also begun to sortie the First Response Teams that I've been lobbying to have establish for the past five years. And all without any significant increase to our funding."

Lt. Colonel Aprilia gave the still blushing Subaru a small smile before raising an eyebrow. "Although, for propriety's sake, I still have no desire to inquire how or where you…acquired the programming or technical specs for that training area you convinced me to have built."

"Heh, heh, heh." Subaru chuckled, ruining her attempt to look innocent.

"Back to the matter at hand," Lt. Colonel Aprilia said, changing the topic. "your transfer orders. The bad news is there is nothing you can do about them. The good news, however, is I've seen this type of transfer paperwork before and, had you fully read your orders; you would have seen that your transfer is temporary."

"Temporary?" a confused Subaru asked.

"Correct, you are being reassigned to a detached duty. Basically, you've been tapped for a specific mission. In all my years with the Bureau, the handful of times I've seen this type of transfer paperwork cut, the person affected is returned to the post they were previously assigned to after a mission or series of missions were performed." The Lt. Colonel explained.

"I think I understand." Subaru said slowly, a small frown on her face. "But what about my squad? And the training schedules? Who's going to…"

"Subaru," Lt. Colonel Aprilia interrupted. "SRS-Alpha is the best squad in the Unit and your second can run things in your absence, you've seen to that. And, if the situation is bad enough, Rho Squad will sortie with them. And as for your training program…well, you're not the only graduate of the 'Takamachi School of Hard Knocks' here."

"Ma'am?" Subaru asked, looking up at surprise at Lt. Colonel Aprilia.

"I never told you?" the Lt. Colonel said with a raised eyebrow. "I've attended Captain Takamachi's 'Aerial Combat Tactics Training', her 'Small Group Tactical Combat Training', and her 'Special Response Unit Training'. While I didn't spend as much time under the Captain's 'tender mercy' as you did," she said with a quick grin, "I believe I'm qualified to handle the Unit's training program during your absence."

"Of course ma'am." Subaru said, feeling better about the situation. "I'll forward the current training rotations to you immediately. And…thank you…"

Lt. Colonel Aprilia nodded in understand before she adopted a more serious look. "Now, Master Sergeant Nakajima, you are to report to Bureau Headquarters in two days. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"I expect a report on our Unit's current training regimen on my desk by 0800 tomorrow and forward a copy of Alpha Squad's readiness report to the Action Information Center. Dismissed."

Standing, Subaru came to attention and snapped off a crisp salute. "Yes ma'am!"

Picking up her transfer paperwork from the desk, Subaru turn to exit the office, but before she reached the door, Lt. Colonel Aprilia spoke up.

"Oh, Subaru? Two things."

"Ma'am?" Subaru asked, looking over her shoulder.

"One: Despite your current orders, I still consider you a member of the Unit. We might be limited in what we can do but if you need our help…"

"Thank you, ma'am."

"And two: You might want to let the rest of the Unit know what's going on. The sooner the better."

"Ma'am?" Subaru asked; only to see her superior wave her off as she began to pull up several screens.

With a shrug Subaru turned and opened the door, only to have a girl with purplish-red hair pulled back in a spiky bun nearly fall on her.

"Wendi…" Subaru sighed, palming her face.

"Hehehe. Sorry boss." The former Number XI grinned at Subaru before she looked into the office and came to attention. "Ma'am."

"At ease, Private." Lt. Colonel Aprilia acknowledged the hail with a wave of her hand as she continued to peruse the reports in front of her.

Closing the office door, Subaru turned and gave Alpha Squad's Wing Guard and her second in command a serious look. However, before she was able to say anything, the hyperactive girl began to bombard Subaru with questions.

"Well? What's the big deal, boss? Huh? Huh?"

"You mean you didn't hear?" Subaru asked, unable to hide a grin.

Wendi opened her mouth to say something but a dry, feminine voice cut her off.

"Unfortunately for Private First Class Wendi, the standard privacy screens that are employed by the Lt. Colonel were able to overcome the Privates' high-tech listening method of placing her ear to the door."

"Otto-neesan…" Wendi whined.

The boyish looking former Number VIII gave Wendi a reproachful look. "That's Sergeant Otto. I've told you that you need to work on your military decorum." Turning to look at Subaru, she gave an acknowledging nod. "Master Sergeant Nakajima."

"Otto." Subaru said with a smile, returning the Unit's Primary AIC greeting.

"…neesan's mean…." Wendi muttered with a pout.

Seeing Otto give Wendi a disapproving glare, Subaru couldn't help but smile at the sister's playful banter. Remembering the times she had visited her sister, Ginga, at the Hoffmeyer Maritime Quarantine Facility, where Subaru got the chance to meet and actually talk to the Numbers, the Combat Cyborgs that were used by Doctor Scaglietti during the JS Incident, and got along with all of them. As Ginga's reformation program for the Combat Cyborgs began to show signs of success and several of the girls were cleared to be integrated into normal society, first Otto and then later Wendi showed an interest in Subaru's work with the Disaster Planning and Humanitarian Aid Unit.

Subaru didn't even hesitate in encouraging them to get the necessary training and helping them with transferring into the Unit.

"Wendi," Otto said with a sigh before shaking her head, "Master Sergeant Nakajima's business is her own and eavesdropping is not only impolite, it can also get you into serious trouble, especially when you are also trying to eavesdrop on your commanding officer."

"Fine." Wendi pouted again, before turning to Subaru and snapping to attention. "I apologize, Master Sergeant Nakajima."

"Apologize accepted, Wendi." Subaru said with a smile. "Now come on, I need to talk to the both of you anyway.

"Sure!" Wendi said happily as she came up to Subaru's left side and threw an arm around her shoulders. "So, what's up boss?"

Subaru grinned as she walked down the hall, noticing Otto rolling her eyes as she fell into step on her right.

"Anyway, this is about what I was talking to Lt. Colonel Aprilia about. I've just been transferred."

"What!" Wendi shouted as she came to a sudden halt, forcing Subaru to stop as well.

Slipping out from under Wendi's arm, Subaru took a step forward and turned to look at her two subordinates. Wendi had a look of total shock on her face while Otto looked distressed…well, either that or she was constipated, but Subaru wasn't going to comment on that. After all, she had learned a _little_ about tact in the past few years.

"This is most disconcerting." Otto muttered, looking at Subaru with worried eyes.

"You…you're kidding, right?" Wendi stammered.

"No. _But_" Subaru stressed, "The Lt. Colonel assured me that this is just a temporary transfer. I've apparently been tapped for some sort of mission. I'll be back as soon as I'm done."

"A detached duty, I see…" Otto nodded in understanding.

"Whew! That's a relief!" Wendi relaxed, "So, how long will you be gone?"

"Don't know." Subaru said, turning to continue walking; the two sisters falling in at her sides. "But I plan to be back as soon as I can. Otto, I'll be forwarding the current reports on Alpha Squad to you in the morning and I trust you to keep everything sorted in my absence. Lt. Colonel Aprilia herself will be taking over the training program."

"Understood."

"Wendi, while I'm gone Alpha is yours. It will still be in rotation to sortie, so you'll be a man down for a bit. The Lt. Colonel will have Rho Squad on standby whenever Alpha sorties in case they're needed."

"Bah, don't sweat it boss." Wendi said dismissively, "We're the best there is, we won't need any help!"

"Wendi," Subaru came to a stop and turned to her second, giving her a serious look. "Our mission is too important to play any games with. So I'll need you to swallow your pride and I want you to call in Rho if you even _think_ you might need an extra hand. Understood?"

Seeing the look on Subaru's face, Wendi snapped to attention. "Yes ma'am!"

Subaru nodded before turning away and resumed walking. It was only then she allowed herself to grin. "Not that I expect Alpha to _need_ any help, mind you. But Rho is there, you know, just in case,"

"You got it, boss!" Wendi chirped while Subaru and Otto shared a nod of understanding.

As the primary AIC, Otto also had the authorization to sortie additional squads if needed. And although Wendi had a good head on her shoulders when the situation was serious, Otto would make sure that Rho was sortied if the situation warranted them, whether or not Wendi thought they were needed.

"Now if you would excuse me, ladies? I have several days of paperwork to finish before I leave tomorrow."

"Yes ma'am. Good luck."

"See ya, boss! Kick some ass!"

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Two days later, Subaru was at her wits end. First there was the scramble to get all of her paperwork in order and forwarded to both Otto and Lt. Colonel Aprilia, only to discover that there were two personnel reviews due in a week's time. Luckily, both were for members of the Unit that she worked with frequently so she was able to complete their reviews quickly and forwarded them to the Lt. Colonel for her final approval. Working all night, she had just enough time to take a quick shower and throw her kit together in order to make it the transport on time.

Fortunately, she made it to the transport on time and was able to catch up on her sleep during the flight. Unfortunately though, she had to transfer to another transport that would carry her to the capital city of Mid-Childa, Cranagan, where the Bureau Headquarters was located.

A transport that was six hours late.

Finally arriving in Cranagan in the early morning hours, Subaru only had enough time to grab a quick snack before reporting in at Bureau Headquarters. Only to discover what could only be a new level of hell…

Bureaucracy.

After spending what felt like years, Subaru had to not only prove who she was but why she was there several times. She though having her Bureau ID and her transfer paperwork would be enough, but apparently it wasn't by a long shot. After being shuffled between five low level clerks, three mid-level clerks, someone who was apparently the assistant to the assistant of the Director of Personnel's secretary, and going through six different security checks; one of which she would later swear that the person running it was about to tell her to turn around, bend over, turn her head and cough (which she swore they only did to guys!) Subaru was finally escorted to a small, unused conference room and told to wait…

Three hours ago.

Half the day gone, Subaru was stuck in a ten by twenty foot room, hungry and uncomfortable in her Dress Browns, which were wrinkled and smelled like mothballs. After all, she had barely worn them since transferring to the Unit, between running training exercises and going on missions Subaru spent most of her time either wearing her PT clothing or her Barrier Jacket.

To top it all off, Subaru was worried. Worried about Alpha Squad and about the Unit. Logically, she _knew_ that everything was well in hand. Between Lt. Colonel Aprilia running the Unit like she always did, Wendi taking charge of Alpha, which Subaru made sure she could do, the rest of Alpha Squad, Otto taking care of the AIC, and the other squad leaders and support personnel, Subaru was certain that there would be no problems.

But that didn't lessen the feeling that she _should_ be back at the Unit and that they _needed_ her there.

All of this caused Subaru to start pacing.

She hated pacing, having no idea where she picked up the habit. Probably as a way to burn off nervous energy when in a situation when she couldn't just call out Mach Caliber and go for a spin. Of course, what was worse about having nervous energy meant that Subaru was nervous, which she hated even more than pacing.

It was because of all this that Subaru missed the door to the conference room being opened and a familiar redhead wearing the crisp black uniform of the Interstellar Navigation Bureaus' Investigation Division entering the room and shutting the door behind her.

"Ten-hut!"

Acting on ingrained responses that were drilled into her, Subaru spun to face the door and came to attention while raising a sharp salute.

"Master Sergeant Subaru Nakajima reporting as ordered!"

Hiding her smile, Teana Lanster returned the salute. "At ease."

Relaxing, Subaru went into parade rest and blinked as her brain caught up with what she was seeing. "Tea?"

"That's First Lieutenant Lanster or Agent Lanster to you, Master Sergeant Nakajima." Teana said, fighting a grin.

"Tea?"

"Master Sergeant Nakajima."

"Tea!"

Teana's eyes went wide as Subaru rushed forward and grabbed her in a tight bear hug. "Let me go, you idiot!" she exclaimed, pushing on Subaru's shoulders trying to dislodge her.

"Tea! Tea! Tea! It's great to see you again!"

"Subaru! Let me go! Idiot!"

Releasing her tight hug, but still holding Teana close, Subaru looked her friend in the eye. "I'm glad to see you again, Tea. It's been too long."

"Yea…" Tea said softly.

"Great! Now that you're here, we need to figure out how to tell off the person that brought us here!"

"Yea…wait, what?"

Releasing Teana, Subaru stormed across the room and looked out the window. "Yep!" she said with a huff as she crossed her arms across her chest. "We need to tell off the idiot that dragged us away from our jobs then left us here to rot!"

"Subaru…" Teana groaned, raising her right hand to her temple. "Did you even _read_ your transfer orders?"

"Huh? What are talking about?" Subaru turned around and saw a very familiar look on her friend's face that caused her to immediately pull up a screen and display her transfer paperwork.

"Um…Tea? What am I looking for?" Subaru asked hesitantly.

Closing her eyes, Teana continued to massage her temple. "The end, Subaru. The end."

"Well, if it's so important, why did they put it at the end?" Subaru muttered under her breath as she scrolled to the bottom of the screen. "Lets' see…blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda…per the request of First Lieutenant Teana Lanster and approved by Commodore Fate T. Harlaown…."

The room was silent for a moment as Subaru blinked in surprise.

"Err…oops?" Subaru said uneasily.

"Su-ba-ru…" Teana growled, before sighing. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Ehe, he, he," Subaru chuckled nervously before her stomach let off a loud growl.

Sighing, Teana motioned to her friend as she walked towards the door. "Come one, Subaru. Let this 'idiot' get you something to eat."

* * *

**The Disaster Planning and Humanitarian Aid Unit**

Due to public outcry in recent years over the handling of several disasters both on Mid-Childa and several Administrated Planets, sparked by the destruction of Coastal Airport 8 and its surrounding area in the year 0071, the TSAB searched for an answer that would allay the citizens' fears. While the efforts of the various Disaster Management and Rescue Corps of Ground Forces, Air Corps, and the Interstellar Navigation Bureau performed very well in the recent incidents and none could fault their efforts, the major fault they all shared were their reaction time to such disasters.

Thus, the Disaster Planning and Humanitarian Aid Unit was created.

Created in the year 0074 and assigned directly under the authority of the TSABs Central Command, the Unit is made up of members from all three of the TSABs Armed Forces. The purpose of the Unit and its Special Relief Squads is to provide quick response to any emergency situation and, once on site, to rapidly assess the problem and to immediately begin rescue efforts and/or to begin to contain the situation until the arrival of Disaster Management and Rescue Corps personnel. Once they arrive, the Unit will continue with their efforts along with providing both on and off site coordination of relief efforts.

With the rapid deployment of the SRSs by use of high speed tactical helicopters and, if necessary, the use of the Interstellar Navigation Bureaus Inter-dimensional Transport System, the Unit is able to quickly respond to any type of emergency and disaster.

**Personnel assigned to the Disaster Planning and Humanitarian Aid Unit:**

Lieutenant Colonel Sharon Aprilia: Commander of the Unit. Call Sign: Ios-1. AA-Class Aerial Mage.

Master Sergeant Subaru Nakajima: Squadron Leader and Forward of Special Relief Squad Alpha (SRS-Alpha) and the Unit's primary training instructor. Call Sign: Alpha-1. A-Class Ground Mage.

Private First Class Wendi: SRS-Alpha's Wing Guard and second in command. Call Sign: Alpha-2. AA-Class Combat Cyborg lowered to Class-B due to mandatory Capability Limiter.

Sergeant Otto: The Unit's primary Action Information Center (AIC). Call Sign: Ios-Two. A-Class Combat Cyborg lowered to Class-B due to mandatory Capability Limiter.


	3. Chapter Tres

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Enforcer

A MGLN Fanfic

- - - - - -  
Disclaimer:

MGLN and all related materials don't belong to me and is the property of FUNimation Entertainment

- - - - - -  
Chapter Tres  
- - - - - -

"So…a commissioned officer, eh? How's that been treating you?" Subaru asked as she piled her plate full of noodles as she and Teana sat in the Bureau Commissary.

"So far, so good." Teana replied as she poured some dressing over her salad. "I've just recently earned the ranking of Junior Enforcer and I've been slowly settling in. I haven't made much of a name for myself yet, unlike a certain someone I know who's working in the DiPHAU." Teana grinned.

"Don't call it that." Subaru said, grimacing.

"Huh?"

"The Disaster Planning and Humanitarian Aid Unit. Please don't call it by that acronym."

"What? Why? That's what all the official reports call it." Teana said with confusion.

"We know," Subaru sighed tiredly before explaining. "We prefer to call it either by its lettering, D.P.H.A.U. or, preferably, just the Unit. Calling it," Subaru winced, "_DiPHAU_ makes it sound like you're coughing up a hairball or something."

"Oh…" Teana replied, suddenly understanding several vague references she's heard in the past. "Anyway, I've been hearing rumors about an up and coming squad leader who's being called the 'Rolling Bomber'. You wouldn't have heard anything about her, have you?"

Subaru rolled her eyes at her friend's grin before taking a forkful of noodles. "Yea, yea…just wait until you get a nickname of your own. Want me to make one up for you?"

"I prefer a sense of anonymity considering what my job entails, thank you." Teana defended herself, spearing a tomato. "Although, for some reason, whenever your nickname comes up, both Nanoha-san and Hayate-san insist you should be called the 'Blue Bomber' instead of the 'Rolling Bomber'."

"Oh…" a subdued Subaru said, placing her fork on the table. "Um…Tea? How have the others been? I mean Nanoha-san and Hayate-san and Fate-san…"

"They're good." Teana said carefully, sensing her friend's change of mood. "Subaru? What's bothering you?"

"It's just…it's been so long since I've talked to you, let alone the others. I mean I get letters from everyone and I reply too, it's just I haven't really seen any of you face-to-face since Riot Force 6 was broken up. I've just been so busy with the Unit, and when I'm not there, I'm helping Gin-nee. I didn't even realize you became an officer! I'm sorry, it's just…"

"Subaru, stop." Teana commanded gently.

Seeing she had her friend's attention, Teana took a deep breath and began to talk. "We're both just getting started in careers that we care about and are dedicated to, so it's understandable that our personal friendships have grown apart a bit. As long as we make an effort to stay connected, which we all have, those bonds will never fade."

"But you obviously know how everyone's doing…" Subaru said.

"That's because I've been working closely with Fate-san for these past few years. If I weren't, I'd probably be feeling just like you are." Teana explained. Seeing a trace of doubt still on her friends face, she continued. "You remember how close Fate-san and Nanoha-san are, right?"

"Um…yea…" Subaru said with a slight blush.

Ignoring the question as to _why_ Subaru was blushing, Teana continued. "Do you know how often they see each other?"

"No…" Subaru frowned.

"Once a month, and that's if they're lucky. Even though they don't get to spend as much time together as they'd like, their bond is still as strong as ever. Understand?"

"I think so…"

"It's the same between Fate-san and Erio-kun and Caro-chan. The two of them are rarely on planet, yet Fate-san still cares about them the same."

"I think I get it." Subaru said slowly, picking up her fork and resuming her meal. "Hey...Tea? Why did you bring me here? Not that I mind, it'll be great working with you again, but it's something big, isn't it?"

Teana looked around the Commissary before lowering her voice. "Let's finish our lunch and go back to the conference room."

"Ok." Subaru nodded in understanding before she broke out in a big grin. "Speaking of Erio-kun and Caro-chan, any word on the pool?"

"Pool?" Teana blinked in surprise.

"You know; the pool! The pool! The one about Erio-kun and Caro-chan!"

"Oh, _that_ pool! I've almost forgotten about that!" Teana grinned and shook her head. "Last I heard Zafira was managing it and apparently, not only is the majority of the old Riot Force 6 still in on it, but some people from the Enviro-Squad have gotten in on it as well."

"Hah!" Subaru barked with laughter, "I still say that Caro-chan is going to have to Alchemic Chain Erio-kun's scrawny butt and drag him to the altar!"

"Please…" Teana said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Erio-kun is too much of a gentleman. He'll plan a long and beautiful courtship culminating in the perfect marriage proposal and a lovely wedding ceremony."

The two girls looked at each other for a moment before breaking out in giggles.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

After spending some time catching up over lunch, the two returned to the conference room and Teana began to present a more in depth report than the one she had given to Admiral Kawasaki and Fate; one which included several more incidents that she hadn't mentioned during her impromptu briefing. Not to say that Teana had intentionally misled or withheld information from the Admiral. However, with several days to prepare she was able to present a more detailed report, a copy of which she had already forwarded to both the Admiral and Fate.

Finishing up the briefing about her theory and telling her friend what her current orders contained, Teana couldn't help but to be impressed by how serious Subaru looked. It wasn't that she didn't think that her friend couldn't be serious; she had seen Subaru serious many times during training missions and actual sorties. It was just that Teana could vividly remember the time back when they were in the 386th Battalion and Subaru had fallen asleep during an important briefing.

Of course, Teana remembered mainly because they had _both_ gotten in trouble because of that, Subaru for sleeping and Teana for trying to wake her up. Running ten miles while wearing a full combat kit wasn't something you forgot easily.

Thinking about it, Teana realized that, as a Squadron Leader, she most likely gave similar briefings herself all the time, so she would understand the importance of paying attention during times like this.

Which left Teana wondering how much her friend had changed during these past few years.

"So," Subaru said and she leaned back in her chair and put her feet up on the table, "We got a group of people who are apparently attacking specific security defenses until they can bypass them as quickly as possible. Right?"

"That's my theory." Teana confirmed,

Nodding, Subaru continued by asking "Any matches on the perpetrators?"

"Nothing positive." Teana said. "By comparing all the incidents in question the computer does agree that there is a high probability that the crimes are being committed by the same people. Beyond that…" she trailed off.

Subaru nodded before she let off a low whistle. "A Matsumoto vault, eh? Man, those things are a pain."

Teana was brought up short by her friend's off-hand comment. "Wait, what? You know something about Matsumoto Securities vaults?"

"Well…It's classified. But!" Subaru exclaimed with a grin as she held a finger in the air, "Seeing that you are an Enforcer in the middle of an official investigation, it's my duty to cooperate to the fullest of my abilities! Correct, Agent Lanster?"

Seeing her friends grin, Teana slumped in her chair and stifled a groan. "This isn't going to get us into trouble, it is?"

"Nah, I'll just give you the basic info." Subaru waived off Teana's concerns while leaning her chair back onto its hind legs. "It was about a year ago at one of the Bureau's off-world Proving Grounds. They were testing one of those new Mobile Artillery Platforms based off the Einherjar that the Ground Forces and the Capital City Defense Forces have been pushing for these past few years. You've heard of them, right?"

Seeing Teana nod, Subaru continued with her story. "Well, they were putting the Platform through its paces when…boom!" she clapped her hands together for effect, "Apparently, they were _trying_ to get the thing to blow." Subaru said with a shrug. "Anyway, the explosion was bigger than they expected and it triggered a bunch of seismic sensors throughout the base including…"

"Including the sensors on several Matsumoto vaults' on the base." Teana finished, sitting up in her chair, her complete attention on Subaru.

"Exactly!" Subaru grinned. "Anyway, when those sensors trip, the vaults go into lockdown and seal up tight and can't be opened for a minimum of twelve hours, trapping any people inside. However," Slipping her feet off the table, Subaru leaned forward and let her chair land heavily on the floor before she knocked her fist on the table top, "one of the vaults apparently had a faulty air recycling unit. The unit couldn't be repaired since it was on the inside and there was only enough oxygen to last the trapped people for ten hours."

Subaru leaned back again, crossing her arms behind her head. "After a bunch of dithering, the Unit was called in and my squad responded. It wasn't our normal thing, but you'd be surprised at what we sometimes encounter when we get called out. Besides, we had the right security clearance to be able to enter the base. Anyway, by the time we arrived on scene, the clock had already clicked down to t-minus five hours. Well, there wasn't much that we could do besides blowing a hole in it."

Subaru stopped and gave Teana a piercing look, "Which we could have done, easily. While we're primarily geared towards search and rescue missions, our SRS teams have enough firepower to blow through just about anything. But, we couldn't guarantee the safety of the people trapped inside.

"Anyway, after about thirty minutes on scene, I decided to bring our primary AIC on site and give her a crack at the vaults computer." a vicious grin crossed Subaru's face, "Getting the Base Commander to agree to _that_ was…fun. Well, after she arrived and made a bunch of calls to Matsumoto Securities, she went to work. Took her about four hours of non-stop work, but she was able to crack the system and we made it with less than an hour to spare."

"Four hours to crack the vault? That doesn't seem like very long…" Teana said with a frown.

"Four hours," Subaru clarified, "of standing in front of the vault, uninterrupted, while being able to confer with Matsumoto Securities techs. No security system is perfect and, given enough time and resources, anyone can by-pass it. Your perps are trying to crack a top of the line safe in a limited amount of time, so they've got to have some serious gear in order to do it. Plus they're on the clock; they've got a limited amount of time to crack the safe before they're caught. That's why they blew the last safe, they ran out of time.

"That's why the best security systems are always layered; in order to prevent someone from having the time to by-pass them all." Subaru finished her lecture.

Seeing Teana's disbelieving look, Subaru defended herself. "Hey! I basically had nothing to do but stand around and look busy for five hours, so I decided to listen in and learn a thing or two. You never know when something you learn now will become important later on."

"You? Learn something? Without anyone prompting you?" Teana said with mock disbelieve, "Perish the thought!"

"Hah, hah! Funny!" Subaru grinned. "Anyway, here's something else I learned."

A keyboard appeared next to Subaru and, with a few quick keystrokes; a screen displaying the break in at the First National Bank of Cranagan appeared. "Matsumoto Securities vaults can be classified into three different categories; the civilian sector, the corporate sector, and the military sector. The vaults used by the civilian sector are lightweights compared to the others, and you said the perps are staying away from the military ones and are escalating the difficulty of each target…"

"That means their next targets are going to be in the corporate sector!" Teana exclaimed.

"Yep!" Subaru grinned. "But they'll need time to work on the safe."

"So…" Teana said with a thoughtful expression. "So their next likely target will be a high-end safe located in a low-to-medium-security area. Give me a moment."

Calling up her own keyboard, Teana quickly opened a search program of her own design and entered the appropriate parameters. While she did this, she noticed out the corner of her eye that Subaru had brought up several screens. Once Teana was done and initiated the search program, she turned and looked at her friend.

Teana watched as Subaru had brought up a multitude of screens, each showing one of the defeated security systems. She watched as Subaru constantly arranged and rearranged the screens around her as she looked at them with a thoughtful frown on her face.

For the second time that day, Teana couldn't help but wonder how much her friend had changed.

"Subaru?" Teana asked softly, "What are you looking for?"

"Patterns." Subaru said distractedly. "I'm looking for patterns. It's like working in an earthquake zone or on a collapsed building. Everything you do has an effect on something else. If you move too fast, everything will come down on you. Too slow, and…"

Teana was quiet as she observed the distant look on her friends face for a moment before she visibly shook herself out of her thoughts.

"Anyway, I think we're in luck." Subaru said with a sudden grin.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, even if we don't catch them right away, we can still get them. If they can crack a vault like they want to; they'll either be overly cautious or over confidant." Subaru grinned.

Seeing the confused look on Teana's face, Subaru's grin got bigger. "If they're overly cautious, they'll want to hit a place that combines all of this," she waived a hand, indicating the screens "before they move onto their final target. And I'm sure that there are only a few places out there that have all of this together. If they're over confidant, they'll move right to their target, misjudge how the different layers interact with each other…"

"…and make a mistake." Teana nodded, agreeing with Subaru's idea. "But the Admiral wants me to justify my case. Without any positive results…"

"Another Matsumoto vault gets hit and that'll be enough to justify continuing the case." Subaru said with confidence. "Even if we don't catch anyone, that alone will be enough proof to keep us on the case."

Teana slowly nodded. Subaru was right, in a way. The question was if Admiral Kawasaki would see it that way. Before she could say anything else, Teana's screen began to beep.

"It looks like we got a hit."

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

In the end, there were six places that matched Teana's search parameters. Of the six, three of them were located off planet, which they discounted right away. Even though the suspects had shown a willingness to go to other worlds, Teana felt, and Subaru agreed, that they could coordinate their efforts better by staying on Mid-Childa. And even though Teana felt bad about not being able to cover all the possible targets, they simply didn't have the ability to be in multiple places at the same time.

Besides, the place they chose as a likely target was simply too good of an opportunity for the suspects to pass up.

The Lang-Meier Corporation, the front runners in the design and manufacture of micro-computers used in Storage Devices and other high end personal electronics for the past ten years, have several facilities scattered throughout Mid-Childa. However one of the older Lang-Meier Design Facility, located near the remains of Costal Airport 8, was in the process of being relocated due to the fire of 0071. The facility, located right at the edge of the Abandoned Urban Area that surrounded Coastal Airport 8, was now mainly used as a storage area for older designs and materials while the move was in its final stages. In fact, the only major security that particular facility had was the high-level Matsumoto Securities vault that the Lang-Meier Corporation installed at each of its properties.

So, after requesting and receiving permission to set up a surveillance area within the Abandoned Urban Area and requisitioning the use of a Mobile Observation Vehicle, the two girls headed out the next morning in high spirits.

The MOV that Teana requisitioned was, in her opinion, perfect for their use. Designed as a forward command center, it was relatively small and maneuverable with decent acceleration, which meant that it could be driven in both the Abandoned Urban Area and the main streets of the capital city with little problem. It was also large enough to have a full bank of computers and scanners installed. Additionally, since it was designed for long-term use, it had a set of beds built into it, along with a toilet and shower.

The bunks were barely large enough to fit a person and were recessed into one of the vehicle's bulkheads, the shower had just enough room to stand under, and to say that the toilet was cramped would be an understatement. Still, it was the perfect vehicle to use as their command post for their stake-out.

Teana and Subaru spent the rest of the day preparing the area and settling into the MOV. While Teana became familiar with the MOV's computers and running several diagnostic checks and system calibrations, Subaru scouted the area, stetting up a variety of sensors and scanners and directing them towards the Lang-Meier Design Facility while planning possible routes that both they and their suspects might take.

As the sun began to set, Teana was feeling positive about their plan. The MOV's computers and the sensors they set up were working perfectly and, between Subaru and herself, they had plotted any possible routes that could be taken by the suspects and how they would respond.

However, her good feelings evaporated when the beeping of her computer's search program indicated that one of the off-world sites her earlier search had flagged as a possible target had been robbed.

With a feeling of disappointment, Teana wrote up a report of her current actions and included the available information about the latest break-in before forwarding it to both Fate and Admiral Kawasaki. Dejected, Teana waved off Subaru's worried frown and called it a night. Climbing into the lower bunk and closing the privacy curtain, she never saw the thoughtful look on Subaru's face, nor did she see her friend turning to the computer.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Slowly coming awake, it took Teana a few moments to recall where she was. She realized that she was still in the MOV at the same moment she noticed that it was currently moving.

"What the OWW!" Teana bit back a curse as she sat up and banged her head against the upper bunk.

Rubbing her head, she pulled open the privacy curtain and rolled out of the bunk. "Su-ba-ru!" Teana growled, storming to the front cab of the MOV.

"Good morning, sleepy head!" Subaru chirped as she maneuvered the MOV through the light traffic on the road.

"What the hell's going on, Subaru! Why are we here! What about the stake-out! Why are you driving!" Teana's rant came to a screeching halt. "Wait…you can drive?"

Giving Teana a quick look over her shoulder, Subaru flashed a small smile. "What? You don't expect me to stop in a middle of a rescue operation to find someone who can move a car that's in my way, do you? Don't worry! I'm certified to drive anything that rolls!"

"Ok, that makes sense." Teana started to nod in understanding, before shaking her head and frowning. "What a minute! What about the stake-out! And we haven't heard anything from the Admiral or Fate-san yet!"

"Don't worry, Tea! Besides, remember what happened last night? They had to blow the vault, which is what they're trying to avoid, so the Lang-Meier Design Facility is still a viable target. And all the data you've collect says that there is a three to five day period between their attempts. So, we're fine. And about Fate-san, well, I talked to her last night and she agrees with what we're doing, so it's all ok!"

"You what!" shouted a shocked Teana. "And what are we doing, anyway?"

"No time! No time!" Subaru chirped cheerfully. "You need to take a quick shower and get dressed; we need to look our best!"

Looking closely at Subaru, Teana finally noticed that she was dressed in a set of clean and sharply pressed Dress Browns. "But what are we…"

"Chop, chop!"

"…fine!" Teana growled, turning to head back towards the rear compartment. After taking a quick shower and drying off, Teana stepped out with a towel around her torso and noticed one of her black Enforcer uniforms hanging nearby, cleaned and neatly pressed. Struggling to change in the moving vehicle, Teana finished dressing and was checking her appearance as the MOV rolled to a gentle stop.

"Come on! Let's go!" Subaru said, bouncing into the rear of the MOV and practically pushing Teana out of the back hatch.

Stepping out of the MOV, Teana felt as if she had suddenly moved backwards in time.

Looking around in shock, she struggled to find her words before finally choking out "We…we're at the Antiquities Administration Department Mobile Section 6 Headquarters?"

"Silly Tea!" Subaru said with a huge grin. "And you're supposed to be the smart one! Everyone knows that Riot Force 6 was disbanded, so we _can't_ be at its Headquarters! Now, come on! We're almost late!"

Subaru grabbed Teana's arm and started to pull her along, walking at a brisk pace. After a few steps, realizing how it would look for a non-commissioned officer like Subaru to be dragging her along, Teana pulled her arm away from her friend's grip and angrily gestured for her to lead the way.

After a few meters, however, it wasn't so much Subaru leading Teana as it was the two of them walking together, memories of the past catching up with her as her feet found themselves moving down a very familiar path. The year she spent with Riot Force 6 as a member of Stars Squadron had been any important and life defining time for her and, while that time was filled with blood, sweat, and tears; she also knew that her time here was also filled with much happiness and joy.

Caught up in her reminiscence of her past, she didn't notice her body following half-forgotten instincts as she moved down the path she had traversed several times a day during that bygone year. In fact, so caught up in her thoughts, she barely noted the small formation ahead of her made up of TSAB Air Corp members, and completely missed the figure standing in front of and facing the formation wearing a TSAB Armed Forces Tactical Instructor uniform and a distinctive ponytail.

Beside her, Subaru suddenly came to a stop and years of training caused Teana to do the same.

"Ma'am!" Subaru exclaimed, coming to attention and raising a crisp salute. "Master Sergeant Subaru Nakajima reporting!"

"Ma'am!" Teana's military training took over as she, too, came to attention and lifted a salute. "Agent Teana Lanster reporting!"

The Tactical Instructor turned to face them, returning their salute, and Teana suddenly found herself looking into a pair of _very_ familiar and warm, blue eyes.

"At ease. And welcome." Captain Takamachi Nanoha said with a smile.


	4. Chapter Cuatro

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Enforcer  
A MGLN Fanfic

- - - - - - -  
Disclaimer:

MGLN and all related materials don't belong to me and is the property of FUNimation Entertainment

- - - - - -  
Chapter Cuatro  
- - - - - -

_**To date, the Time-Space Administration Bureau has identified and documented 892 different classes of magic. Despite this large number, research has shown that the overwhelming majority of these classes can trace their roots to the two main classes of magic routinely utilized by the TSAB; Mid-Childa and Modern Belka. Because of this, the TSAB is able to break down the different classes and classify them into eight categories, each with its own recognized sub-categories.**_

_**Among these eight categories are the types of spells know as Communication Spells. As the name suggests, this category includes spells designed to aid and facilitate communication between two points; with distances ranging anywhere from a few feet to across several dimensions. While some believe that these types of spells should be listed under the Support Spells category, it has been successfully argued that Communication Spells should be in its own category simply because, among the 892 different classes of magic, they are one of the three types that are found in every class.**_

_**Of course, the most attractive part of this category is that the many of the spells included in it are relatively easy to cast and don't require a lot of mana to use. Not only are many of them low powered, but they rarely cause 'mana bleed-off', in which the caster inadvertently 'glows' as the spell is cast, and they hardly ever require the formation of glyphs in order the help the caster shape the spell, especially those spells that are found in the Personal Communication sub-category. Also, depending on the spell, the caster doesn't even need to know the exact location of their target in order to cast the spell successfully.**_

_**In fact, it is standard practice within the TSAB to teach several of the spells found in the Personal Communication sub-category (also commonly referred to as Telepathy) to incoming magical recruits before they teach them any other category of magic and encourage their use. Over time, the casting of these types of spells become second nature to the Mage and can be cast with barely any effort. Many Mages become proficient of their use to the point that they are able to simultaneously hold a verbal conversation while also speaking to someone else using a Personal Communication Spell.**_

_**-excerpt from "An Understanding of Magic" by Yuuno Scrya, Chief Librarian of the Infinity Library**_

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

After Nanoha returned Subaru's and Teana's salute and directed them to stand off to one side, she turned to address the formation in front of her. While that was happening, the young Enforcer didn't even hesitate in casting Telepathy and targeting her friend.

'_Subaru? What's going on here?'_

'_What does it look like, silly?'_ Subaru replied; her voice filled with glee. '_We're going to help out Nanoha-san!'_

'_I can see that!'_ Teana snapped as she listened with one ear to what sounded like an introductory speech being given by Nanoha. '_But why are we here?'_

'_Because it'll be fun!'_ Was Subaru's cheerful answer.

'_Fun?'_

'_Yep! Besides,'_ Subaru's tone took on a more serious tone, one which Teana was just beginning to get used to hearing from her old friend. '_If everything goes as planned, we're most likely going to be getting into a fight soon. I know we'll work great together, but we've both changed during the past few years. And I figured that the best way for us to get used to working together again was for us to get some practice in. So, after you turned in last night, I called Fate-san and she told me that not only did they turn our old Headquarters into a new Training Facility, but that Nanoha-san was here and that she just started a new class. One thing led to another and, well, here we are!'_

Teana was silent in thought for a moment. _'You're right.' _She said, _'I didn't even think about how we've changed might effect how we'll respond to each other.'_

'_No sweat!' _Subaru said with a smile in her voice. _'Besides, it'll be fun working together like this and we can put these newbies through the wringer!'_

'_Su-ba-ru!'_

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

…_**while Communication Spells are extremely useful, they are not without their faults. One of these faults is that an experienced and powerful mage could not only detect when such a spell was used and listen in on it, but they can also easily insert themselves into the communication…**_

_**-excerpt from "An Understanding of Magic" by Yuuno Scrya, Chief Librarian of the Infinity Library**_

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

'_Now girls,'_ Nanoha's gentle voice suddenly made itself heard. _'You shouldn't squabble; you'll make a bad impression on my class.'_

'_Sorry, ma'am.'_

'_Sorry…'_

'_No worries.'_ Nanoha said; a smile evident in her voice. _'Now pay attention. It's time for me to introduce the both of you.'_

"Now class? Allow me to introduce you to the two people who will be assisting with our exercise today. First, we have Agent Teana Lanster; a First Lieutenant and Enforcer assigned to the Interstellar Navigation Bureau's Investigation Division and a B-Class Ground Mage who's currently on detached duty."

"Ma'am." Teana responded, coming to attention.

"And next to her, we have Master Sergeant Subaru Nakajima from the Disaster Planning and Humanitarian Aid Unit where she serves as the leader of their primary Special Relief Squadron. She's an A-Class Ground Mage and is also currently on detached duty."

"Ma'am." Subaru followed Teana's example and came to attention.

"For the purpose of this exercise, they will be referred to by the call-signs Stars-4 and Stars-3 respectively. Is that alright, ladies?"

"Yes ma'am!" Teana and Subaru answered in stereo, both thrilled to be called by their old call-signs once again, even if it were for just a single training exercise.

Nanoha gave them a quick smile before turning back to the twelve mages standing in formation and continued to issue her instructions. "Seeing as this is our first training exercise together for our Aerial Combat Tactics Training class, we'll start out with something simple, a game of capture-the-flag."

Pulling a piece of white cloth from her pocket, Nanoha held it aloft for everyone to see before handing it off to Teana. "The rules are simple. At my signal, Stars-3 and 4 will proceed to the training area." At this, a keyboard appeared next to Nanoha and she typed out a few commands, causing a hard-light representation of the Abandoned Urban Area to generate on the training grounds, surprising many of the Aerial Mages.

"Once there, they will have ten minutes to prepare themselves. At the ten minute mark the rest of you," Nanoha indicated the Aerial Mages with a wave of her arm "will proceed into the training area. The objective is simple; you will have thirty minutes in which to retrieve the flag and to defeat the Stars members. However, if neither objective is met in that time or all members of the squad are defeated, then Stars win."

Looking at the Aerial Mages, Teana noticed that the majority of them were looking between themselves, Nanoha, and the two Stars members with slight confusion, most likely wondering how a twelve man team of Aerial Mages could be defeated by a pair of Ground Mages. One, however, gave the two girls a predatory look.

Teana made it a point to memorize his face.

"I will be monitoring all of you throughout the exercise." Nanoha continued, "If I contact any of you, you are to acknowledge and follow my orders. And if I inform you that you have been either 'incapacitated' or 'killed', you are to return here as quickly as you can without interfering with the exercise in any way. Finally, all Devices are to be set in Training Mode in order to minimize any injuries and accidents. Any questions?"

Seeing nobody voicing any questions, Nanoha turned to the Stars members. "Are you ready?"

Teana and Subaru shared a look before tuning to Nanoha. "Ready!" they replied together.

"Then…Go!"

Subaru and Teana sprinted towards the training area and, by silent agreement, both waited until they were deep within the urban simulation before activating their Devices. As they ran, Tea smiled as she recognized the simulation as the urban setting they had constantly trained in during their year with Riot Force 6.

After a minute inside the simulation, the duo came to a stop.

"Man! This is going to be great! They'll never know what hit them!" Subaru cheered.

"Subaru," Teana said warningly, ignoring the frisson building within her. "We're out numbered 6-to-1 and everyone knows that Aerial Mages have an advantage over Ground Mages in the terms of maneuverability."

"True." Subaru conceded before she grinned. "But! We have several advantages over them! One: home field advantage! I know you recognize this place like I do. Heck, I still have dreams about this place!"

"More like nightmares, you mean." Teana muttered, trying to hide a small grin at the memory.

"Two: This is their very first class in tactics training, while we spent an entire year learning under the TSAB's undisputed master!"

"True. Nanoha-san's reputation does precede itself…"

"Three: Remember how Nanoha introduced us? She emphasized our status as Ground Mages and the fact that we work in non-combative positions while failing to mention our combat experience! They're going to underestimate us!"

"I've gotten into a few fights while working a case, and I'm sure you've been in a tight spot or two as well." Teana said slowly as she smiled. "But most people think that an Enforcer just investigates things and nobody expects that someone who works in a place that includes the words 'Humanitarian Aid' in its title to ever find themselves in a combat situation."

"Exactly! And four: They're not us!"

"Subaru…" Teana's exasperated tone lost most of its impact due to the grin on her face.

"So, you ready?" Subaru asked, holding out the pendant that was her Devices inactive state.

"Whenever you are." Teana replied, pulling out her own inactive Device.

"Mach Caliber…"

"Cross Mirage…"

"SET UP!"

**:Stand by, ready.:**

Twin flashes of blue and orange light filled the area for a moment before disappearing, leaving the two Stars members standing in the street, their Devices held at the ready.

Taking a moment to look over her friend Teana saw that, unlike herself, Subaru had made some changes to her Barrier Jacket. While both Mach Caliber and Revolver Knuckle looked the same and she still wore her ever present headband, shorts and knee pads, there were some obvious differences. First off, Subaru no longer had a bare midriff or legs and was wearing what looked like a full body suit similar to Tea's own Stealth Mode, only with blue highlights instead of red. The shoulder pads were now gone along with the large cuff at the end of her left arm, although the old color scheme remained. The armored skirt had also changed, now being split into three sections with the rear section being smaller than the other two. Finally, Tea noticed that the fingerless glove on her left hand had been replaced with a full fingered one.

Overall, the effect gave Subaru a more streamlined look, and Teana realized that the changes must have been a result of her work in close quarters and places with filled with debris or hazardous materials.

"So, how do you want to do this?" Subaru asked with a grin on her face.

"They'll most likely expect us to find a place to 'plant' the 'flag' and fight a defensive battle. If I remember right…" Teana trailed off in thought as she looked around. "Come on, follow me!"

Sprinting down the road with Subaru rolling by her side, Teana made a right at the second intersection they came across and continued her pace for several blocks.

"Here," Teana said, indicating a collapsed building. "That place would make the perfect defensive position. Which is why I'll be up there," she pointed to a hole that was halfway up a building at the end of the block on the opposite side of the street, "where I'll have an almost uninterrupted view of anyone approaching our 'perfect defensive position'."

Nodding in agreement, Subaru pointed at a tall building that was on the same side of the street as their 'perfect defensive position'. "And, if I remember correctly, that building has a large, clear rooftop with only a small storage shed up there. The perfect landing point for an Aerial Mage."

The two nodded in agreement with a smile. "Say, Teana? What about the flag?"

Tea looked at the piece of cloth in her hand for a moment before smiling. Moving close to Subaru, she grabbed her friends' right arm and quickly tied it securely around Revolver Knuckle, making sure that it was out of the way of any moving parts.

Subaru raised her arm and looked at the flag for a moment before clenching her fist. "Let's go!"

The two separated and quickly made their way to their positions. Arriving at their chosen spots, they both quickly confirmed that their memories were right and they settled in to wait.

'_So…A-Class?'_ Teana asked Subaru to kill the time.

'_Meh,'_ Subaru replied, _'no big deal. It's not like there's any real incentive for moving up a Class when working in the Unit, just more work for me to do.'_

'_Oh…'_ Teana said. _'I guess between learning from Fate-san, going through OTS, and refining my own skills, I've been too busy to think about trying to advance up a Class.'_

'_I wouldn't have tried myself if there wasn't someone in the Unit who was itching to take the test and needed a partner.'_ Subaru confessed. _'Beside, like Nanoha-san and the others told us, it's not the ranking of the Mage that matters; it's how they use what they've got! That's why I'd rather have a B-Class sharpshooter at my back than a quadruple S-Class any day!'_

'_Subaru…'_ Teana sighed, _'There's no such thing as a 'quadruple S-Class' ranking…'_

'_See! That's why I like having Tea at my back!'_

Before they could continue, Nanoah's voice broke into their Telepathy Spell again. _'Ladies? It's time.'_

'_Right!'_ Teana responded, canceling the Telepathy Spell.

Taking a deep breath, Teana closed her eyes and forced herself to relax. Opening her eyes, she looked down at the Device she held in her hand.

"Let's do this, Cross Mirage."

**:Sniper Mode.:**

The handgun began to shift and expand and, after a moment, Teana was cradling a white rifle with a scope attached to it. Quickly adjusting her position, the redhead began to scan the skies. After about a minute, she saw two of the Aerial Mages flying towards the collapsed building. Bringing up the rifle and taking a quick sight, Teana realized that the two Mages weren't moving in any sort of search pattern, instead it looked like they both decided to head in the same direction at the same time.

Which suited Teana just fine.

"Cross Mirage…"

**:Load Cartridge.:**

An orange Mid-Childa style glyph appeared on the ground surrounding Tea and the rifle rocked slightly as a spent cartridge was ejected. She quickly sighted one of the Mages as the inside of the rifle's barrel began to glow orange and a concentric ring of glyphs formed encircling its tip. Taking a breath and holding it, Tea squeezed the trigger with practiced ease.

**:Snipe Shot.:**

"Again!" Tea quietly commanded as she absorbed the recoil and sighted the other Mage.

**:Load Cartridge.:**

The rifle rocked again as another cartridge was ejected, but Teana was expecting it and easily compensated for the movement and paused a full second before pulling the trigger again.

**:Snipe Shot.:**

After the second shot was fired, Teana lowered the rifle and was finally able to admire her handiwork. There was a plume of dust from where the first Mage had crashed-landed while the second Mage's Personal Barrier had just been burned through by the Snipe Shot. Teana smirked as the shot hit the Mage square in his unprotected back.

'_Two down.' _ Teana said to Subaru, reestablishing the Telepathy Spell as she watched the second Mage plummet to the ground.

'_Roger.' _ Subaru replied, _'I have inbound, stand by.'_

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Standing in the small, dark storage room, Subaru placed her left hand against one wall and closed her eyes, straining to listen to the voices arguing on the other side.

So far, she had identified three different voices and was certain that they were the only people present on the roof. Subaru couldn't wait until she could watch the recordings of what Tea had just done, because from what she was hearing, it had surprised and shocked the heck out of trio.

"Well, I guess I'll find out later." Subaru whispered as she took a step back from the wall, leaving her left hand extended.

Bringing her right fist up, Revolver Knuckle quickly expended two cartridges as a Belka style glyph appeared on the ground and several concentric rings of glyphs formed around both of her arms.

"Divine…Buster!"

The blast of magic smashed a huge hole in the wall, which Subaru quickly jumped through. Once outside, she quickly took stock of her situation and confirmed her estimate was correct. One of the Mages was slumped on the ground while the other two were both standing, stunned by the unexpected attack.

Picking her target, Subaru quickly moved towards the closest Mage and, forgoing the use of magic, simply grabbed him by the back of his Barrier Jacket and spun, tossing him across the roof. Turning to the last standing Mage, Subaru saw him raising his Devise to fire.

**:Gear First.:**

With Mach Caliber providing the acceleration, Subaru quickly closed the distance between the two as she came in practically hugging the ground, Revolver Knuckle nearly scraping the rooftop as she moved.

Abandoning his attack, the Mage barely had enough time to throw up a Round Shield before Subaru was on him.

"Revolver Shoot!"

Hitting the Mages' Shield with a powerful uppercut, Subaru was impressed with its strength, especially considering how quickly he had made it. As the two struggled, Subaru saw his eyes widen as he noticed the 'flag' wrapped around her Device. She grinned in response as Revolver Knuckle expended another cartridge.

**:Vibration Shatter.:**

The additional surge of magic slammed against the Round Shield, causing the already stressed Defensive Spell to shatter. The remaining power of the Revolver Shoot easily tore through the Mage's Personal Barrier milliseconds before Subaru's fist connected with his jaw, propelling him into the air a few feet before he collapsed on the ground.

Subaru's moment of victory was cut short, however, as several stray shots forced her to dodge and weave. Coming to a stop at the edge of the roof, she saw the last Mage, the one she had tossed, standing unsteadily on his feet with his Device pointed at her.

Giving the Mage a cheerful grin and a jaunty wave, Subaru jumped off the roof.

**:Wing Road.:**

Angling the Pathway Spell down in a steep grade, Subaru speed downwards at her current gear's full speed.

'_Stars-4, this is Stars-3! I'm coming in hot!'_ Subaru sent.

'_Roger, I got it.'_ Came Teana's reply as Subaru neared the ground.

Just before she would have hit the ground, the Wing Road leveled out and turned sharply into an alley. As Subaru took the turn, she saw out of the corner of her eye a swarm of orange spheres striking the pursuing Mage.

Skidding to stop, Subaru took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. _'Clear!' S_he sent to Tea.

'_Clear.' _Replied Teana. _'Let's fall back to that fallen walkway in grid F-1, remember it?'_

'_Roger, I'll meet you there.'_

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Even though their chosen meeting spot was clear on the other side of the training grounds, the Stars members were well acquainted with the urban simulation and they both made it there in less than five minutes without being spotted.

"Man! That was great!" Subaru cheered as she finished reloading Revolver Knuckle, before slapping her palms together and rubbing them in glee. "Five down and seven to go! So…what's next?"

"One moment," Teana said, holding a hand up, palm facing outward. "Cross Mirage?"

**:Standby…W.A.S. complete. Displaying coordinates.:**

"Oh ho?" Subaru grinned as she threw an arm around Teana and leaned in close as a screen appeared before them. "A Wide Area Search? It seems that I'm not the only one here who could be accused of stealing from Nanoha-san, now am I?"

"Well, it's nowhere as powerful as Nanoha-san's W.A.S.," Teana explained with a trace of embarrassment, "and it doesn't nearly have the range of hers, but it gets the job done. Here." Teana pointed at the screen, "All seven of them are still together by where we just were. It looks like they're in a crude search pattern."

"Fish in a barrel." Subaru said with a grin.

"Wait, we've lost our main element of surprise." Teana cautioned. "At least one of them must have seen your fight on the roof and they must assume I'm the one who shot the others down. So they know that I'm a shooting type Mage and you're a close combat type, unless…?"

"Nope! We've stuck with what always worked for us!" Subaru said with a cheeky grin.

**:We wouldn't have it any other way.:** Mach Caliber chimed in.

Teana nodded, expecting that answer. "And while my close combat skills have gotten a bit better in the past few years, they won't help right now." Frowning in thought, she tapped a finger against her chin. "We'll need to do something they'll expect, but catch them off guard with something they won't see coming. Something that isn't too reckless…"

"Our biggest problem will be getting ourselves into position." Subaru added, "Once we get into position, keeping them pinned down isn't a problem. I can catch any Aerial Mage within the confines of the training area and close in on them while you can keep any heavy fire off my back."

"I wonder…" Teana thought. "Hey, Subaru? You remember how our first test for B-Rank ended?"

"Tea!" Subaru exclaimed with a grimace, "I thought we both swore to _never_ mention _that_ again!"

Seeing her friend's look, Teana blinked before flinching. "No, no, no. Not _that_. Before _that_! You know, before you realized that we couldn't stop!"

"Tea!" shouted Subaru then cocked her head to the side. "You mean…"

"Cross Mirage, Stealth Mode."

**:Barrier Jacket, Stealth Mode.:**

After a brief and muted orange glow, Teana was left standing in a black full body suit with red highlights.

**:Stealth Mode Online.:**

A flicker of color rippled across the Barrier Jacket before Teana faded from sight.

"Tea? Tea?" Subaru said, looking for her friend. Not seeing or hearing Teana anywhere, Subaru waived her arm around. "Where did you go, Tea?"

"Ow!" Subaru heard Teana yelp as her hand struck something. "Stop flailing around like an idiot! I'm still here, you know."

Her hand still touching what felt like Teana's arm, Subaru gave an experimental squeeze. "There's no distortion." She said in surprise, looking at where her hand made contact with her friend. "But Optic Hide…"

"Using Cross Mirage, I'm able to alter my Barrier Jacket so it takes Optic Hide to the next level: Total Stealth. Nothing can find me." Teana's voice was filled with pride as she continued her explanation. "It has its downsides, though. My offensive and defensive abilities go way down and I can't receive any Communication Spells, so don't bother trying one until I contact you. Also, I can't extend it to cover you like I can with Optic Hide. But that won't mater here, since they'll see Wing Road coming a mile away. But if we do this right…"

"They won't know what hit them!" Subaru finished with excitement.

"Exactly." Teana agreed. "So getting us into position is all up to you. You think you can get us there fast enough?"

Seeing Subaru's toothy grin, Tea suddenly had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

* * *

_**Technical Data:**_

First Lieutenant (Agent) Teana Lanster, B-Class Ground Mage

**Device:**

Cross Mirage (Intelligent Device)

_Modes:_

-Handgun/Two Hand Mode

-Dagger/Twin Dagger Mode

-Sniper Rifle

**Offensive/Defensive Abilities:**

Anchor Line: By shooting a 'line' of magic out of Cross Mirage, Teana is able to anchor it to a wide variety of surfaces then reel the line back in. Doing this, Teana is able to ascend or rappel great distances.

Optic Hide: An Illusion Spell that is able to hide Teana and anything she is in contact with, able to fool low level sensors. While useful, Optic Hide is limited by the fact that distortions can occur when the person under the Illusion Spell makes extreme movements or comes into contact with an object not under the effect of the spell.

Wide Area Search: By creating several spheres of magic and directing them away from her, Teana is able to use the spheres to scout a limited area and determine any movement within that area.

Shoot Barret: Teana's most basic attack spell. A shooting-type attack, Teana fires a small 'bullet' of compressed magic from the barrel of Cross Mirage. While it has a fairly quick firing rate, the 'bullets' are low powered and cannot be guided.

Crossfire Shoot: By creating multiple 'bullets' of compressed magic of greater power than her Shoot Barret and guiding them, Teana is able to use this ability to not only to attack several evading targets, but she can also harass and confuse her opponents.

Variable Shoot: An AA-Ranked skill that covers a 'bullet' of compressed magic with an additional Barrier. By using this skill, Teana is able to penetrate a variety of Barrier, Shield, and Field Type Defensive Spells. By allowing the 'bullets' Barrier to impact the Defensive Spell and take the majority of the Defensive Spells' energy, the 'bullet' is able to pass through relatively intact and continue on to strike the target.

Snipe Shot: Used with Cross Mirage in Sniper Mode, this attack uses a cartridge in order to create a single 'bullet' that is increased in both power and range by an order of magnitude.

Barrier Jacket, Stealth Mode: By combining her spell Optic Hide with Cross Mirage's processing abilities, Teana is able to modify her Barrier Jacket to create a nearly perfect camouflage that cannot be detected by anything less than an a S-Class or greater high intensity scan, to the point that even most Communication Spells cannot locate her. Also, as Cross Mirage is assisting with the ability, the Stealth Mode can remain active for an extensive period of time (3 hours and 18 minutes is Teana's best time in controlled testing).

However, there are several downsides to this. If Teana does something to affect her physical environment, such as stepping into a pool of water or a dust cloud, she can be spotted. Also, as Cross Mirage is helping to maintain the Stealth Mode, the only offensive ability that can be performed is Shoot Barret, anything more and the Stealth Mode will go offline (also, as the 'bullets' are visible, Teana's location can be spotted as she is firing). Finally, with the Barrier Jacket in Stealth Mode, Teana's defenses are reduced by nearly 80 percent.


	5. Chapter Cinco

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Enforcer  
A MGLN Fanfic

- - - - - -  
Disclaimer:

MGLN and all related materials don't belong to me and is the property of FUNimation Entertainment

- - - - - -  
Chapter Cinco  
- - - - - -

Outside of the training area, Captain Takamachi Nanoha of the TSAB Armed Forces Tactical Training Unit stood overseeing the training exercise her newest class was participating in. With a practiced ease, she kept an eye on the program running the simulation while monitoring the location, movements, and status of the nine remaining participants. However, the 'Ace of Aces' kept letting her eyes be drawn to one screen in particular.

"They sure have grown quite a bit, haven't they Raising Heart?"

**:Yes, my master.:**

As Nanoha watched her two former subordinates confer with each other, a small smile graced her features. Her smile grew a bit bigger as she watched Subaru and Teana argue, only to blink as the former Forward Center disappeared from view. Nanoha typed a few commands on her keyboard before realizing that she couldn't locate Teana without bringing on line a high intensity scanner.

"Well, I guess I'll just sit back and see what they do next." Nanoha said with a shrug.

**:It is sure to be interesting.:**

"You said it, Raising Heart."

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

After discussing their plan, Teana and Subaru took a few moments to prepare themselves; namely finding a way for Teana to ride piggyback on Subaru that still allowed the former Front Attacker good maneuverability.

"Now remember," the still invisible Teana said, settling in as she gripped Cross Mirage tightly in her right hand. "We need to get in and break up their formation as fast as we can."

"Fast? We can do fast." Subaru's reply was filled with confidence. "Right, Mach Caliber?"

**:Gear Third.:**

Revolver Knuckle expended a single cartage as Accel Fins extended from Subaru's ankles.

"Let's go!" cried Subaru.

**:Wing Road.:**

The sudden acceleration was greater than Teana expected and she almost lost her grip on Subaru's back as they sped down the Wing Road. Keeping at just above street level, they continued down the road for several blocks before Subaru made a sharp left turn at an intersection; nearly going horizontal in the process.

Once they came out of the turn Subaru began to quickly ascend and soon cleared the roof line, where they quickly spotted the Aerial Mages hovering above.

"Here we go!" Subaru shouted, increasing her speed as she made a beeline towards the group.

The Aerial Mages quickly noticed the rapidly approaching Subaru and started to fire. As the bolts of multi colored magic approached them Subaru began to dodge, weave, swerve, and occasionally dip to avoid the incoming fire, never deviating far from her course.

Within seconds, Subaru was in the midst of the loose formation and continued straight through the center of the pack. Passing through the group of Mages, Subaru continued on for a short duration before pulling a tight u-turn and headed back the way she came.

As Subaru entered the middle of the formation again, the still invisible Teana began to attack.

Normally, Teana was a crack shot and the 'bullets' of compressed magic packed a decent amount of power. However, between the speed and maneuvers Subaru was using, not to mention Teana's awkward perch on her back, many of the shots went wide and the few that did hit were blocked due to the Stealth Mode consuming most of her power.

Despite these handicaps, the duo still had the upper hand as the Aerial Mages were thrown into disarray. Between Subaru's tactic of keeping the two of them in the middle of the group of Mages and Teana's shots out of 'nowhere', the formation was quickly breaking apart and the Mages began to fire _into_ the formation in order to hit the rapidly moving Subaru.

After the fifth pass, Teana was finally able to draw a bead on one of the Aerial Mages who was starting to withdraw. With the Mage in her sights, Teana rapidly snapped off four shots. The quartet of 'bullets' quickly flew the air, the first three impacting his Personal Barrier, weakening it enough to allow the fourth shot to break through and hit him in the chest, knocking him out.

A rapid turn pulled Teana's attention from the Aerial Mage she had shot down. Quickly scanning the area while firing at the remaining airborne Mages, she noticed another of the Aerial Mages falling in an uncontrolled decent; an apparent victim of friendly fire.

"Two down, five to go!" Subaru said as she continued to maneuver.

"Subaru! 8 o'clock!" Teana warned as she noticed one of the Aerial Mages going down for a landing on a nearby rooftop.

"I got it!" Subaru acknowledged, moving as they had planned.

Turing in that direction, Subaru descended at a sharp angle, heading for the roof. As they neared the building, Teana released her hold and jumped off of Subaru's back, landing on the roof and rolling with the impact.

**:Stealth mode, offline.:**

Suddenly snapping into view, Teana continued to roll with the momentum for a few meters before coming to a stop in a kneeling position.

**:Dagger Mode.:**

The handgun's barrel angled upwards and an energy blade was created as Teana charged the Aerial Mage with an incoherent cry. Coming in close, she raised Cross Mirage high and struck with an overhand blow, which the Mage was forced to block with his staff-shaped Device.

The larger Mage held his Device parallel to the ground with both hands as he blocked Teana's single-handed strike and began to overpower her and push her away.

**:Twin Dagger Mode.:**

An exact duplicate of Cross Mirages' Dagger Mode appeared in Teana's left hand. Releasing the pressure of her initial strike, Teana stepped forward into the Mages' guard as she brought her left hand up though his extended arms, aiming the energy blade towards his neck, stopping short of hitting him.

"You're out." Teana said, looking into the Aerial Mage's wide eyes.

Seeing his frantic nod and hearing Nanoha's confirmation; Teana stepped back, retracted both Daggers, and turned her attention to the battle in the sky.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

As soon as she felt Tea push off of her, Subaru angled the Wing Road nearly vertical as she aimed at an Aerial Mage who had moved overhead. Without the extra weight, she was able to gain a little more speed out of Mach Caliber and approached the Mage faster than he expected.

"Revolver…Cannon!"

The Revolver Cannon smashed against his hastily constructed Round Shield and blew through it. The attack continued on and struck the Mage's Personal Barrier, which held for a moment before shattering. Then Subaru's fist connected with the Mage's stomach before the shockwave sent him flying.

Letting gravity take effect and using the momentum of the shockwave to propel her, Subaru rolled backwards down the Wing Road as she scanned the skies.

The last three Aerial Mages hung in the air as streaks of orange magic began to fly from the rooftop below. Looking around, Subaru picked the closest Mage as her next opponent.

"Let's go, partner!"

**:You got it, buddy.:**

Subaru accelerated towards the Aerial Mage, trusting Tea to keep the other two busy and off of her back. As she came in close, dodging his attacks, she leaped off the Wing Road and lashed out with a reverse roundhouse kick. The Mage, completely surprised by the move, was unable to defend against it and was sent spinning towards the ground, Subaru falling as well.

**:Wing Road.:**

With the Pathway Spell under her feet again, Subaru looked around and saw another Aerial Mage fall to a single orange 'bullet'. Quickly spotting the last Mage, she saw that he had pulled back and was charging up what looked like a powerful Bombardment Spell.

"Time to finish this." Subaru said, Revolver Knuckle expending two cartridges.

**:Gear Fourth.:**

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Back on the rooftop, Teana had quickly taken stock of the situation after stepping away from her downed foe. Seeing only three Aerial Mages still in the sky and Subaru recovering from her last attack, she began to fire off a rapid series of 'bullets' to keep the Mages occupied.

Watching as Subaru turned and began speeding towards one of the Mages, Teana quickly summoned a swarm of fifteen 'bullets' as an orange glyph formed on the ground.

"Crossfire...Shoot!"

Teana guided the barrage towards the other two Mages in an effective effort to keep them off balance and unable to focus on Subaru. The 'bullets' flew around the pair of Aerial Mages, harassing them and keeping them focused on reinforcing their defenses as several of the shots slammed into their Shields and Barriers. As Subaru approached her target, one of the Mages Teana was focusing on had ended up with his back turned towards her during his bid to defend himself.

Taking the opportunity, Teana directed most of the 'bullets' to attack that Mage from the front and sides, keeping him pinned in his current position. Taking aim with her handgun, Cross Mirage loaded a cartridge as an orange ball of magic appeared in front of its barrel. Still holding her aim, the orange ball was quickly covered by a brighter layer of magic.

**:Variable Barret.:**

"Shoot!"

Teana had found that the AA-Rank Shooting Skill that she had mastered to penetrate the Anti-Magilink Fields that were created by the Gadget Drones during her time with Riot Force 6 were just as effective against a Mage's Personal Shields and Barriers as it was against an AMF defense. This proved true again as the Variable Barret tore through all of the Aerial Mage's defensive magics like paper and hit him dead center in his back.

Seeing Subaru recover from her last attack, Teana searched the skies for the last Aerial Mage. To her surprise and dismay, she saw that he had not only avoided her remaining 'bullets' but he had pulled back out of her normal range and was charging up for a powerful attack.

"No! Subaru!" Tea shouted. "Cross Mirage!"

**:Sniper Mode.:**

Cross Mirage grew and reconfigured itself into its rifle form.

**:Load Cartridge.:**

The rifle rocked slightly as a spent cartridge was ejected and she started to sight the Mage, who she now realized was the one who gave them predatory look before the exercise began. However, before she was able to get a good shot lined up, Teana was brought up short as she noticed something strange happening.

"The Wing Road," Tea muttered in confusion. "It's…shrinking?"

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Up in the sky, Subaru stood on the now narrow Wing Road, the Pathway spell a quarter of its normal width. Accel Fin's still extended, she lowered herself down into a starting position; her eyes locked on the last Aerial Mage.

Subaru took a deep breath and held it for a moment before releasing it.

"GO!"

With an unbelievable burst of acceleration, Subaru shot off like a rocket. Keeping her center of balance as low as possible, she dodged and weaved, trying to keep the Mage from getting a lock on her, even going as far as performing an inverted corkscrew. Throughout the entire race, which it had become, the narrow Wing Road continued to extend, keeping pace with Subaru's tremendous speed and quick movements.

The Aerial Mage stood his ground as Subaru rapidity closed in, preferring to finish his attack spell rather than abandoning it and moving away. The spell finally finished charging and he pointed his Device at Subaru, confident that at this range he couldn't miss. Just before he fired, he was shocked to see Subaru leap off of the Wing Road, propelled by sheer momentum, with her fist cocked back to strike.

"Fire!" he barked out with a sharp-tooth grin, knowing that there was no way she could dodge in midair.

As the large cone of magical energy left the tip of his staff Device, the Aerial Mage noticed that Subaru wore a grin that matched his own.

**:Flash Move.:**

The moment before the attack could hit, Subaru's Accel Fins flared and she was propelled instantly to one side, the attack missing her by several feet.

**:Wing Road.:**

Mach Caliber once again firmly planted on the narrow Pathway Spell, Subaru quickly circled around and closed the remaining distance on the Aerial Mage.

"Divine…Buster!"

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Ten minutes later, Teana and Subaru were back on the ground, both in their normal Barrier Jackets and standing off to one side as Nanoha gathered the Aerial Mages together. Knowing from experience that Nanoha liked to hold informal briefings after each exercise, the two girls had a quiet exchange of words.

"Subaru?" Teana asked with concern in her voice, "What was that you did at the end of the battle?"

"Oh, that?" Subaru said, pride in her voice. "That was Gear Fourth. Amazing, huh? My speed increases by nearly seventy-five percent of my normal combat speed and my maneuverability goes way up as well. Of course, I have to use Absorb Grip just to stay on the Wing Road. If I didn't, the first time I made a high speed turn, I'd go flying away. But still...pretty cool, right?"

**:We can still run faster, though.:** Mach Caliber announced.

"Mou…You know I can't handle Gear Fifth yet, Mach Caliber." Subaru pouted, looking down at the gem embedded in the roller skate on her right foot.

**:Someday soon, we will run faster than anybody.:**

"Just wait for me, partner!"

"Your speed was impressive; I've never seen someone move that fast outside of a specialized Movement Spell. And that corkscrew…" Teana said with amazement before she shook her head angrily. "Not that, idiot! I'm talking about right at the end! What were you thinking, trying to jump him like that?"

"Oh," Subaru nodded with a somewhat somber face. "I saw the look in his eyes, Tea. He was going to try to take one of us out, no matter what. He was on the outside of your old range, so I didn't know if you could hit him now. Either way, if he aimed at you, you would have been a sitting duck. So…I gave him a target he couldn't resist."

"But the risk…"

"Was minimal." Subaru assured Teana. "I created my own version of Nanoha's Flash Move, which shifts me a couple of meters in any direction. I can't use it while on the Wing Road; the magic won't follow my movement. But on the ground or in mid-air…"

"You can dodge just about any attack if your attacker isn't expecting it." Teana said slowly in understanding.

**:Just as practiced.:** Mach Caliber commented.

"Exactly." Subaru agreed with her Device. "So wipe that look off your face, Tea. Besides, that move was something I was working on with Nanoha-san before we were disbanded and I had a lot of help working the kinks out of it while in the Unit."

"I see." Teana nodded. "You know, it's a good thing that you decided that we should do this. Although you should have mentioned something before we _actually_ got here." She shot a dark look at her friend, who either ignored or missed it. "Because if you did you wouldn't have had to take such a risk. Even if you knew what you were doing."

"What do you mean?" a confused Subaru asked.

**:The target was within range.:** Cross Mirage stated.

"Really? You've increased you long-range abilities by that much?" Subaru asked with surprise.

"Yes, didn't you see me take out those first two Mages?"

Shaking her head, Subaru replied "No, I was in hiding until those Mages landed."

"Oh…" Teana started to say, but stopped when she heard Nanoha addressing them.

"Teana? Subaru? Could you come over here please?"

"I'll show you later." Teana whispered as they both moved over to where Nanoha stood.

Approaching their former squad commander, Teana looked at the assembled Aerial Mages. Many of them were hunched over in exhaustion and a few were even sitting sprawled out on the ground. All of them were covered in dirt and a collection of bruises and scrapes but no one had any serious physical injuries. However, just my looking at them, it was obvious that the biggest injury that they had suffered was to their pride.

"Thank you, ladies." Nanoha said to the two before she turned to her current class. "As I was saying, after each exercise I like to hold an informal briefing to discuss what happened, so feel free to say whatever you want as long as you keep it civil. Now, Teana? Subaru? Is there anything you'd like to say?"

"They sucked." Subaru said as she crossed her arms across her chest, doing a passable impersonation of their former Sub-Commander, Vita.

"Subaru!" Teana exclaimed, scandalized.

"What! That was civil." Subaru defended herself. "Now, if I said they sucked donkey balls; now _that_ would have been wrong to say, even if it's true."

"Su-ba-ru!"

"Ladies?" Nanoha admonished.

"Sorry." Teana apologized.

"Sorry," Subaru said, before muttering under her breath, "…big ones…"

Before anyone of them could say anything else a loud snort was heard. "We were set up." A voice filled with disgust spat.

Looking at the group of Aerial Mages, Tea saw the last Mage that Subaru defeated standing with an angry frown on his face.

"Oh?" Nanoha asked quietly.

"We were set up." The Mage repeated with a sneer. "It was a trick. There's no way that an A-Class _Ground_ Mage and a _lowly_ _B-Class_ Ground Mage could _really_ defeat a bunch of _Aerial _ Mages!" he glanced at Nanoha before adding a belated "Ma'am."

Holding up a hand to stop the outburst that she knew was coming from Subaru, Teana took a step forward and asked, "And you are?"

"Second Lieutenant Kristopher Shultz," He answered, his voice bordering on the edge of contempt. "An _AA_-Class _Aerial_ Mage."

"I see," Teana continued. "And how long have you served with the TSAB?"

"Ten months." He said proudly. "I just completed OTS before being assigned here."

Tea nodded her head. "Very well; one last question. What is the name of this course?"

"Ma'am?" Shultz asked, thrown by the question.

"I asked, 'What is the name of this course?'. A simple question."

"Aerial Combat Tactics Training." Shultz answered.

"Well then," Teana said, taking a step back and addressing the assemble Mages, "where were your tactics?"

Watching the class start to glance around at their fellow Mages and mutter to each other, Teana stood in silence for a moment, watching them. "You asked me how the two of us could 'defeat a bunch of Aerial Mages'? Well, there's your answer; you were a 'bunch'. Not a 'group', or a 'formation', or even a 'squad', you were a 'bunch'. I know that this is your first class with Nanoha-san, but I also know that the basic forms of group tactics are taught in both Basic Training and in OTS.

"You two," Tea continued, pointing at the two she shot down at the beginning of the exercise, "did a passable job of trying to scout the area, but you were too concerned with where the other was to really be effective."

Subaru then stepped forward and added her two cents. "Then you three," She indicated the trio she encountered on the top of the building, "landed on that roof, the best place to land in the area, and then just stood around talking without securing the site. After I knocked two of you out, you" here Subaru pointed at one Mage in particular, "then followed me into an area you knew a shooting type Mage was in."

Seeing the Mage color in embarrassment, Teana picked up the discussion. "From there, the rest of you not only allowed us enough time to regroup, you also ended up all in one area with no firm defensive position. Once we resumed our attack and ended up in the middle of your 'bunch', none of you tried to fall back. As a direct result, I was able to take one of you out while another fell to your own fire."

Teana glanced at Nanoha out of the corner of her eye and saw her giving the Mage that Subaru took out with her kick a stony look and hid a sympathetic wince, guessing that he was the one who shot down his classmate and knowing that he was going to end up regretting it.

Subaru picked up the lecture. "You actually had a good idea." She said with a hint of praise at the mage that Tea fought on the roof. "Distance yourself from the fight and engage in a mid-to-long range battle. But instead of landing, you should have remained in the air. As an Aerial Mage, your strength is being able to be in a position that most Ground Mages can't get to.

"Then you," Subaru pointed at the Mage who had shot down his classmate, "Broke one of the cardinal rules of Aerial Combat. Unless you specialize in melee combat" to which the Mage shook his head, "then always stay away from close quarters when you can avoid it."

"At that point," Teana continued, "The three of you now had two visible threats to deal with, yet all of you concentrated on the wrong one. Had any of you backed off and fired on me, I'd have been forced to stop my barrage and seek cover, which would have freed up all of your movements. Because of which, we were able to take out two more of you."

Subaru then pointed at Shultz, "Then you made it personal." She said, "You were outnumbered two-to-one, but you were determined to beat us. Not defeat us, but beat us; at which point you lost the mission. Instead of falling back, you stood your ground and fired a powerful attack at me while ignoring Tea. Had I been hit, you still would have been shot down.

"And that," Subaru finished with a sharp nod, "is why you sucked."

"An excellent summation." Nanoha said, giving Subaru and Teana a nod. "It doesn't matter what your ranking is or what your skills are; with the proper application of teamwork and even the most basic of tactics, a small team can defeat a large group of people."

Nanoha turned to the two girls. "Teana? Subaru? Who don't you head up to the Commissary? I want to have a few words with the class before we break for lunch."

"Ma'am!"

* * *

_**Technical Data:**_

Master Sergeant Subaru Nakajima, A-Class Ground Mage

**Device:**

Mach Caliber (Intelligent Device)

Revolver Knuckle (Armed Device)

**Offensive /Defensive Abilities:**

Revolver Shoot: Using Revolver Knuckle to create a small pocket of highly pressurized air, Subaru is able to create a near-continuous shockwave and direct it at the point of impact. However, once the point of impact is no longer present, the energy of the shockwave is almost immediately dissipated. By using this ability, Subaru is able to break through both metal and stone and able to penetrate low level Barriers and Shields.

Revolver Cannon: A more powerful version of Revolver Shoot designed specifically for combat use. The main difference between the two attacks is that the pressure in the pocket of air is greatly increased. By doing this, the shockwave is not dissipated immediately and carries through to strike the opponent, propelling them away.

Divine Buster: By creating a large sphere of compact magic and striking it, Subaru is able to direct the short blast of energy in a straight line away from her, resulting in a highly destructive melee attack.

Vibration Shatter: While not an attack in of itself, it is a refinement of her previous innate and unconscious use of the first level of her Inherent Skill (IS): Oscillating Breaker. In the past, when faced against a Barrier or Shield, Subaru would unknowingly tap into her IS in order to break through the Defensive Spell, often resulting in Revolver Knuckle expending several cartridges wastefully. However, with the advice of Captain Takamachi Nanoha after the JS Incident, Subaru was able to refine this ability. By expending a single cartridge and focusing the increased magical energy to Revolver Knuckle's point of impact, she is able to break through many mid- to high-level Defensive Spells.

Wing Road: An Inherent Ability (much like an elemental affinity or the ability to fly without a specific spell's assistance), Wing Road is a Pathway Spell that creates a continuous platform that can support itself in mid-air, allowing movement across its length.

Absorb Grip: By using Absorb Grip, Mach Caliber gains the ability to maintain traction along any surface.

**Gears:** Gears refer to the different speeds that can be used by Mach Caliber in order to propel Subaru forward. There are a total of 6 speeds available, the first being the default speed that is normally used to move Subaru around, its fastest speed is the equivalent of a light jog (although Subaru can go faster by actually skating). This speed does not have a designation.

Gear First: Subaru's standard combat speed, the equivalent of a person going at a full run.

Gear Second: Raises Subaru's combat speed by 25 percent of standard.

Gear Third: Raises Subaru's combat speed by 50 percent of standard. Employs Accel Fin for increased stability. Requires the use of one cartridge.

Gear Fourth: Raises Subaru's combat speed by 75 percent of standard. Employs Accel Fin for increased stability and Absorb Grip for traction while forcing Wing Road to shrink in size; allowing for high speed maneuvering. Requires the use of two cartridges.

Gear Fifth: Raises Subaru's combat speed by 100 percent of standard. Employs Accel Fin for increased stability and Absorb Grip for traction while forcing Wing Road to shrink in size; allowing for high speed maneuvering. Requires the use of three cartridges.


	6. Chapter Seis

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Enforcer  
A MGLN Fanfic

- - - - - -  
Disclaimer:  
MGLN and all related materials don't belong to me and is the property of FUNimation Entertainment

- - - - - -  
Chapter Seis  
- - - - - -

Teana and Subaru enjoyed a pleasant lunch at their old Headquarters as they watched footage of their recent exercise while discussing their new skills and speculating on the collective fates of Nanoha's newest class. It wasn't long after they finished their food that they were joined by their former trainer and commander.

"Ladies." Nanoha announced herself as she joined the two, waiving them off as they both started to stand.

"Captain Takamachi." Teana greeted her superior formally.

"Nanoha-san." Subaru said, welcoming her with much less ceremony.

"It's so good to see you both again." Nanoha said warmly as she looked at the two younger girls. "Fate-chan is quite proud of you, Teana. She can hardly stop talking about how much you've grown in these past few years."

"Ma'am…" Teana said, blushing.

"Yes, she's quite impressed with how you've been handling your case load and how you took initiative with your current investigation.

"And you, Subaru." Nanoha continued, "I've heard nothing but good things about your work and the famous 'Blue Bomber'."

"Na-Nanoha-san…" Subaru stammered, "I've just been doing what you and the others taught me. And…and it's 'Rolling Bomber', not 'Blue Bomber'. Not that I really want a nickname."

"Mou…" Nanoha pouted, before muttering under her breath "and Hayate-chan and I've tried _so_ hard…"

Teana and Subaru shared a confused glanced as Nanoha collected herself. "Also, I'm quite proud of you myself. After all, there aren't many people I know who've created TSAB policy."

"…what?" Teana asked, looking at her friend who was trying to sink into the floor.

"Oh yes," Nanoha explained, pride evident in her voice. "It was quite the surprise when I saw it and Hayate-chan was kicking herself for not getting something similar pushed through. Now, what was it called again? _'The Foxtrot-November Protocols: On How to Respond to Any Incident Involving Lost Logia and Other Artifacts of Power.'_ It was quite impressive."

"It was an accident!" Subaru blurted; her face red.

"It was…an accident that you created policy that everyone in TSAB administered space is suppose to follow?" Teana said slowly in disbelief.

"Yes!" Subaru practically shouted before she took a deep breath, calming breath. "Yes, I did. I was working on training ideas for the Unit for situations involving Lost Logia and I must have sent it to Lieutenant Colonel Aprilia by accident, because the next thing I knew she told me to get into my best Dress Uniform right before we both appeared before the full High Council! And I didn't even know why I was there until they started reading my training plan!"

Teana just stared at her friend in shock as Subaru continued to fidget in her chair.

"Still, it was quite impressive." Nanoha continued. "There's nothing wrong with creating policy by accident. After all, every official policy I'm involved in is usually the result of an accident. Nyahaha.

"Anyway, I have a few hours before I need to go check up on my class and, from what I understand, you two have a little bit before you have to return to your stakeout, so why don't we catch up a bit."

"Well," Subaru said slowly, obviously trying to find a new topic. "I was wondering…how's Vivio doing?"

At the mention of her daughter, Nanoha smiled brightly.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

After spending several hours catching up with each other, Teana and Subaru reluctantly headed back to the Abandoned Urban Area, leaving behind the promise to keep in touch with Nanoha.

Arriving back at their surveillance point, the two settled back in and Teana rechecked the calibration of their surveillance equipment while Subaru scouted the area again to see if something might have happened or changed while they were away.

It was at this point that Teana realized that there was an obvious flaw in her plan.

Teana had always thought of herself a as patient person. Although, in a moment of introspection, she would admit that she might occasionally make a rash decision in anger or frustration, she understood the value and importance of waiting for something. Not only that, but in her short career as an Enforcer, Teana had been on several stakeouts that required her to hold her position for several hours and, in one case, days. In other words, Teana was fully able and prepared to remain in one place for however long it took for her suspects to arrive.

Subaru…wasn't.

Subaru was a woman of action, a coiled spring ready to be let loose on the world. She was also a bit hyperactive and sometimes seemed to have the attention span of a small child.

At first, everything was fine as the two of them settled into a comfortable companionship that reminded Teana of the better times they shared back in both the 386th Battalion and in Riot Force 6. Between catching up on all the little details of their lives and their respective jobs, it was an enjoyable time as they waited for something to happen.

It was during the middle of the second day that Teana remembered that, although she loved her friend dearly, she would also gleefully strangle her; especially when Subaru decided to wake her up like she often did back when they were sharing a dorm.

By the end of their third day back from visiting Nanoha, Teana was beginning to reach her limit with dealing with her friend with the two of them confined in the close quarters of the MOV.

Fortunately, during the dead of the night of their fourth day of surveillance, something finally happened.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

"…that's odd…" Teana muttered to herself as she double checked the readings she was seeing.

"What's odd?" Subaru asked, appearing over Teana's shoulder.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath so she wouldn't vent her frustration on her friend, Teana opened her eyes and explained what was bothering her about the readings before her.

"Okay, look. I'm not seeing anything unusual on the thermal-optic or the thaumaturgic scanners." She explained; cycling the monitors between the readings the two scanners were displaying. "The seismic sensors haven't even twitched and everything looks normal on the visual pickups. But here, listen to the audio pickups."

Handing Subaru a pair of headphones, Teana put on another pair and began to adjust several settings. After listening for several moments, Subaru turned to her friend.

"Um…Tea? What am I suppose to be hearing? Because I don't hear anything."

"Exactly!" Teana exclaimed. "The audio pickups that are trained on the facility are sensitive enough for me to hear the hum of the backup generator. But now there's nothing!"

"Could something be wrong with them?" Subaru asked.

"I've already checked the diagnostics on all the sensors and everything is working fine." Teana explained.

"Well," Subaru scratched her head in thought, "then something's gotta be jamming them, right? That means our perps are here!"

"If they are, then they got to be pretty sloppy to screw up covering their tracks like this…unless…"

Teana's fingers flew over the keyboard as she made some adjustments, before she broke out in a smile. "Aha! I got it! They've must be overcompensating for the vault's audio sensors! And whatever they're using to create a white-noise field must be creating an excessive dead-zone! Give me a moment…"

"Alright!" Subaru cheered, slamming a fist into a palm as Teana made some adjustments.

"Got it!" Teana crowed as she listened intently to what she was hearing before her face went slack and she ripped the headphones off of her head.

"Subaru!"

Following her friend's example, Subaru pulled off her own headphones just in time to hear a loud explosion ring out from the device.

"…wha…" Subaru mumbled, staring wide-eyed at the headphones in her hands.

"They blew the vault." Teana said slowly, before she grinned as she stood and began to rush to the exit of the MOV. "They blew the vault! We got them! Let's go!"

"Cross Mirage…"

"Mach Caliber…"

"SET UP!"

**:Stand by, ready.:**

Twin flashes of blue and orange light filled the confines of the MOV, leaving the two girls in their Barrier Jackets with their Devices at the ready as they rushed out of the vehicle and ran towards the facility.

"Where are they?" Subaru asked as they got closer to the building.

**:There is a disturbance on the northwest side.:**

"Thanks, Cross Mirage." Teana said as she followed Subaru as they approached a corner of the facility.

As the two rounded the corner, another explosion rocked the night as a plume of dust rose from the side of the building and debris went flying.

"Get ready…" Teana warned as Subaru nodded.

"…wanted to leave." The sounds of an irate, feminine voice could be heard coming from the hole in the building. "Well, now we can leave!"

"You really need to learn to calm down, Samara." a masculine voice stated. "We still need to be careful."

"Yea, yea…whatever…" the first voice, most likely 'Samara', replied.

Teana and Subaru tensed as figures began to appear in the dust cloud; however they weren't quite prepared for what they saw.

The first figure they saw was a little girl with light brown hair in an all white Gothic Lolita dress stepping out of the cloud. The girl paused and began to dust herself off before she noticed Teana and Subaru standing nearby.

"Oh! Excuse me." The Gothic Lolita said as she daintily grasped the sides of her skirt and curtsied, inadvertently causing the two white gems imbedded on the backs of her gloves to flash in the dim starlight. "Good evening."

"Who ya' talking to, shrimp?" 'Samara' grumbled from inside the still lingering cloud.

"We have company!" the Gothic Lolita said cheerfully. "Isn't that wonderful?"

"Company?" A third female said before another figure burst out of the dust, this one with long red hair pulled back and in a braid that extended down her back except for several strands of hair that curled down from her brow. She was wearing a buttoned up dark pink topcoat with a white panel on the front between the buttons, matching dark pink pants, and a pair of pink wrap-around sunglasses.

"Oh, wow! We've got company!" she said excitedly, before she turned her head to look behind her. "Hey, everyone! Company!"

"That is not a good thing, Nagare." The male voice said with exasperation as he stepped out of the dust cloud.

Teana had to blink at how handsome he looked, with golden skin and dark purple hair in a loose ponytail. He was dressed (as it were) in a white tunic with silver trim and was wearing a silver belt along with silver bracers and greaves and sandals on his feet.

"But _Lacetti__!_" 'Nagare' whined, "How often do we get to meet people? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

Shaking her head, Teana focused on the newcomers. Neither had any obvious Devices on them, not that not seeing anything meant that they weren't armed. 'Lacetti' stood to the right of the two girls with an air of resignation while 'Nagare' was between the two other people they could see; her arms folded behind her at the elbows and, for some reason, she was standing on her left leg while her right leg was pulled back slightly and she was constantly tapping her right foot against the ground. Meanwhile, the Gothic Lolita was standing to the left, hands folded demurely in front of her.

"Now what the heck are all ya' yammering about?" The first, irate, voice said as the speaker stepped out of the dwindling cloud.

With short-cropped brown hair 'Samara' was dressed in a dark blue bomber jack that was unzipped, showing a mesh undershirt, and wearing loose, black pants with knee guards and heavy boots. She was also armed with a pair of gauntlets that reminded Teana eerily of a cross between Revolver Knuckle and the Device that the former Number, Nove, wore.

'Samara' looked around with a frown before her eyes landed on Teana and Subaru. "Oh," she said, voice filled with disgust, "isn't _this_ interesting."

"Indeed it is…indeed it is…" a _fifth_ voice said as the dust finally cleared, revealing a woman with long, brown hair and golden eyes and was dressed in a black body suit with her left hand encased in a claw-like Device. "If it isn't the Gunslinger and the Zero-Second…"

'_Tea…'_ Subaru sent to her friend with concern, _'I thought you said that there were only four of them…and they know who we are…'_

Ignoring Subaru for the moment, Teana raised Cross Mirage and pointed it at the five people before her. "By the authority of the TSAB, you are all under arrest for multiple counts of Breaking and Entering and Theft. Deactivate any Devices you might be carrying and slowly lay them on the ground."

'Samara' snorted loudly and shook her head in disgust. "Like we would listen to a weakling like _you_."

"Now, now Samara. There is no need to be rude." The black and silver clad woman said admonishingly.

"…sorry, ma'am."

"No worries, dear." The unnamed woman said, before turning to addressing Teana and Subaru in a superior tone. "Now, if life has taught me anything it's that plans can always be interfered with and one must be flexible enough to change them when necessary. However, I simply cannot see how my plans can be flexible enough to be continued from prison. And, as I doubt that you would be willing to simply let us go, I see no choice but to eliminate you, and quickly at that. Vitara? If you would be a dear…"

"Yes, ma'am." The Gothic Lolita said as she brought her hands up and crossed them over her chest. "Ningishzida?"

**:I am ready.:**

"Subaru!" Teana called out as a large, white Mid-Childa glyph appeared beneath Vitara as the Gothic Lolita began to obviously power up for a massive spell.

"I'm on it!"

**:Gear Second.:**

Subaru shot forward low to the ground, Revolver Knuckle extended behind her as she prepared to attack.

"Revolver…"

"Kjara!"

**:Radikale Gute Geschwindigkeit.:**

An explosion of blue and pink light rocked the area, kicking up a huge burst of wind and sending dust and debris flying, forcing Teana to turn her head. When the wind died down, Teana turned back to see what happened and was shocked by what she saw.

Subaru was leaning forward, Revolver Knuckle extended, while Mach Caliber's wheels whined as they tried to push her forward. In front of Subaru was Nagare. With her arms still folded behind her, the pink haired girl stood balanced on her right leg while her left leg was extended and was, amazingly, blocking Revolver Knuckle with her left foot.

It was only after blinking twice that Teana realized that Nagare now had armor covering both her lower legs which, she assumed, was the pink haired girl's Device.

"Ah…that's no fun!" Nagare pouted. "You're the famous 'Rolling Bomber'! You're supposed to be _fast!_ That's not fast, not fast at all! How are we supposed to have fun if you're so slow?"

'_Subaru! Move!'_

Seeing her partner throw herself to one side, Teana fired off a quick succession of shots that Nagare dodged with seemingly little effort. The Enforcer only had time to notice that Subaru was forced to dodge Lacetti, who was attacking with a trident shaped Device, before she found herself evading a barrage of dark blue bolts of magic.

"You have bigger concerns than worrying about the Cyborg, weakling!" Samara spat before she charged, fists flying.

"Eternal Domain."

And the world went white.


End file.
